Former New Power Party (NPP) chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday said that he would leave the NPP without hesitation if it turned into a “sidekick” to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Working for the DPP was “not what he wanted to do” in joining the NPP, he said during a livestream yesterday.
The two parties could cooperate if there was an inclusive and impartial platform for doing so, he said.
Screen grab from the Internet
Huang’s broadcast was seemed to respond to media reports that the NPP approached fitness celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢), seeking to collaborate.
Chen in a live broadcast on Friday confirmed that Huang had approached him about being a legislator-at-large for the NPP, adding that he had declined the offer after giving it some deliberation.
Chen, who runs his own chain of fitness centers, said that he has a responsibility to his shareholders and employees, adding that he feels society “likes people who can lie, rather than those like me who get things done.”
Huang had since the legislative session’s adjournment spoken with a number of experienced people to learn from them and get their feedback, he said yesterday, adding that his three-hour conversation with Chen, in which he had brought up the possibility of a collaboration, had been part of that effort.
Huang said he hoped to gain a better understanding of the type of government needed and where he personally should apply more effort.
The past three years in the legislature has been tiring for him, due to the limited number of NPP seats, he added.
The DPP, with its majority, can approve or shoot down proposals at will, while the NPP can only strengthen its supervisory role, he said, adding that his efforts to keep the DPP in check in the Legislative Yuan have caused some pan-green camp supporters to brand him a “traitor.”
They have told him that he would not have been elected legislator of New Taipei City’s 12th constituency if the DPP had not yielded the position to him, but the DPP never won the city’s Sijhih District (汐止), he said.
Huang said he hoped that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would not win the presidency next year, and that neither the KMT nor the DPP would win a majority in the legislature, as that would leave the public disappointed again.
“If there is to be something to balance out the two major parties, then the third force [the NPP] needs to grow larger,” he said.
Huang said he would continue to consult with others, and would inform the public when his plans are solidified.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS