Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary-general-designate Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉) yesterday said he would restore the party’s “brand image” by modernizing its surveys and improving its communication with the public.
Luo made the remarks at Buffalo Books, a Taipei cafe-bookstore he has managed over the past seven years, one day after DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) announced his appointment.
“I have been out of politics for nine years and working at a normal job for seven years, so it is natural for people to ask why I am coming back,” he said.
Photo: CNA
“Frankly, I am not here for the DPP, Cho or President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). This is for my children and parents like myself, who hope that long after today, our children can still breathe freely, speak their minds without fear and enjoy the fruits of Taiwanese democracy and values, which our forebears fought so hard for,” Luo said.
The DPP has lost the public support it enjoyed two years ago and part of the reason must be in the party itself, he said, adding that shifting blame to others would doom the party to more losses.
“I will use scientific and rational analysis, including opinion polls, market analytics and academic research, to discover those reasons and find solutions,” Luo said, adding: “The DPP has a problem with its brand image.”
While the DPP suffers from the effects of its bad image, its main rival, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has not changed in any meaningful way, resulting in the rise of new political parties and independent politicians free from old labels, he said.
He would identify the problems with the DPP’s image and fix them before “the product goes up for sale next year,” Luo said, referring to next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
“The party headquarters should act as a platform to coordinate responses to issues that could negatively affect the party’s image,” he said.
It would take more than a year to build up the DPP’s image, Luo said, adding that he intends to form a professional infrastructure to improve communication with the public in the information age.
“The biggest problem with our politicians is that they are out of touch with society,” he said.
When asked whether he sees his role as one of building bridges between the DPP leadership and the party’s pro-independence wing, Luo said the party should be building bridges with all sectors of society.
“While many people think of a competition between the pan-blue and pan-green camps, I think of a competition between Taiwan and the authoritarian forces of China,” he added.
“The DPP should build bridges with all people, groups and forces that resist China’s dictatorship,” Luo said.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A tropical disturbance off the southeastern coast of the Philippines might become the first typhoon of the western Pacific typhoon season, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The system lacks a visible center and how it would develop is only likely to become clear on Sunday or Monday, the CWA said, adding that it was not yet possible to forecast the potential typhoon's effect on Taiwan. The American Meteorological Society defines a tropical disturbance as a system made up of showers and thunderstorms that lasts for at least 24 hours and does not have closed wind circulation.
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS