Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Chen Su-yu (陳思宇), an ardent supporter of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), yesterday registered to contest the legislative seat representing Taipei’s Shilin (士林) and Datong (大同) districts after former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) resigned to focus on last month’s mayoral election.
When asked about her apparent change of heart, Chen said that she had always been prepared to run for a seat and was simply waiting for the right time to do so.
In a three-minute declaration of intent, Chen said that she was running for the position to change the political culture and the lives of Taiwanese, regardless of whether their political views align with those of the pan-green or pan-blue camp.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Faced with a difficult battle, as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the DPP have also named candidates for the seat, Chen said that she would do her utmost to win the public’s support.
When asked whether she would seek another city government post should she not win, Chen said: “I’ll be telling Mayor Ko that I am waiting for him at the central government.”
Chen said her resignation yesterday afternoon marked the closing of her chapter in the Taipei City Government.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
DPP Taipei City Councilor Ho Chih-wei (何志偉) was nominated to run for the Shilin-Datong constituency after talks of a possible collaboration between the party and the “white force” led by Ko, an independent, did not come to pass.
The DPP-Ko cooperation is a non-issue, Ho said, adding that he had supported Ko’s policies when they were sound and opposed them when they were not.
The meeting on Thursday between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Ko symbolized a political settlement between the two camps and continued cooperation in terms of policies, Ho said.
He would endeavor to win back the public’s trust, but would not be unduly concerned with the by-election, Ho said.
Polls show that he should receive support from at least a quarter of the people who voted for Ko in the nine-in-one elections, Ho said.
When asked about media reports that negotiations between the DPP and Ko had broken down, the Taipei mayor said: “We waited, but no one came calling.”
Ko said he was unsure whether anyone in the DPP was actually making the decisions, as the party had not acted, despite there being a lot of talk about possible cooperation.
In response, DPP by-election oversight division convener Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) said that there had never been a definitive decision to cooperate with the Ko clique.
Ho’s chances of winning would not be diminished, despite there being no collaboration, Gao said.
Additional reporting by Peng Wan-hsin
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS