Former Taipei mayoral candidate Pasuya Yao (姚文智) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Friday evening said that he is retiring from politics to produce a documentary about independence activist Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) and hopefully another about democracy advocate Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕).
Yao made the announcement at an event in Taipei to thank his voters.
Yao had vowed to end his political career should he receive fewer votes than two or more candidates in the Nov. 24 Taipei mayoral election.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Of the top three in the five-way race, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) garnered 580,820 votes, or 41.05 percent; the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) received 577,566 votes, or 40.82 percent; and Yao received 244,641 votes, or 17.29 percent.
Cries that Yao should not retire from politics could be heard from the crowd as he took the stage to speak.
“It is my fault as the candidate that we lost this election. I let you down by not fighting hard enough,” he said. “The losses in the [nine-in-one] elections calls for examination and reflection, but more importantly, we should stand together in the struggle for Taiwanese values.”
The KMT’s campaign to discredit democracy in Taiwan and the world should be one of the most important lessons drawn from the elections, he said.
Yao said he is producing a documentary about Peng and talked about his hopes to produce another film about Deng.
When one supporter shouted that he should run for DPP chairman, Yao relied: “I am not going to have the time [for films] if I am the party chairman.”
Yao said that Deng is his hero and he has dreamed of making a film about him for many years.
“The idea of Taiwan as a country has to be deeply planted and Deng is the kind of heroic figure needed for a Taiwanese national identity,” he said. “There are many people from Taiwanese history that I want to make documentaries about.”
A pro-democracy advocate, Deng established Freedom Era Weekly in 1984, in pursuit of what he said was “100 percent freedom of expression.”
Deng, then editor-in-chief, set himself on fire on April 7, 1989, as heavily armed police attempted to break into his office, in which he had spent 71 days of self-imposed isolation after he was charged with sedition for the anti-government views expressed in his magazine, which published a draft “Republic of Taiwan constitution” in 1988.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS