Former Sunflower movement student leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) has accepted an offer from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) to be officially instated tomorrow as the party’s deputy secretary-general, a source in the party said.
Reports that higher-ups in the Presidential Office opposed the appointment were false, the source said, adding that both President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) met with Lin last week and support him taking the position.
The appointment would benefit the ruling party, as Lin has closer ties with the New Power Party than with the DPP, the source said.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
The party hierarchy has three deputy secretary-general positions and Lin would be filling the one vacated by Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青), although the party Web site still listed Hsu as occupying the role.
Luo contacted Lin soon after becoming secretary-general, but Lin was in England at the time, the source said.
Lin campaigning for Yu Tian (余天) to be elected New Taipei City legislator in the March by-elections surprised the party, the source said.
The appointment was recently finalized and would be announced by Luo and DPP Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰).
Appearing at a DPP fundraiser in Kaohsiung last evening, Lin declined to comment.
New Power Party officials and members said they respected Lin’s decision, but also declined to comment further.
Additional reporting by Wang Jung-hsiang
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