New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) yesterday said that she would leave the party in the hope that her departure will end conflict within the party.
She would be the second lawmaker to leave the NPP over internal division following Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), who earlier this month announced that he would leave the party to support President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in her re-election bid.
“It was a difficult decision, but it was something I had to do, or the party would remain trapped in a standoff and be unable to move forward,” Hung said.
With her and Lim gone, the party’s path should become “very clear,” she said.
Echoing Lim, Hung said she would not join the DPP, but run as an independent in next year’s presidential an legislative elections.
Hung made the announcement at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei after the NPP’s decisionmaking committee met for nearly three hours to discuss its next steps following Chiu Hsien-chih’s (邱顯智) resignation as party chairman.
“I believe the key reason behind his resignation was that he was unable to resolve differences within the party over its strategies,” Hung said.
The committee decided to call on Chiu to remain as chairman, but refused to discuss ways to resolve underlying issues that possibly led to his resignation, she said.
Party members are divided over whether to collaborate with other pan-green camp parties to pool votes in the elections or whether to focus election resources on legislators-at-large or on constituency-based candidates, Hung said.
“My departure is perhaps good for the party, because it would be able to move in the direction it wants,” she added.
She apologized to NPP members for her decision and wished the party success.
“My generation has not given up. We simply moved on to a different place,” she said.
NPP spokesman Chen Chih-ming (陳志明) said the party has no comment on Hung’s departure, as it has no chairperson.
Party members are trying to reach Chiu to urge him to resume the chairmanship, he said.
The committee also decided to continue talks with the DPP and other parties on collaborating to promote bills, based on a decision Chiu had previously made, Chen said.
While there is no acting chairperson, party affairs are being handled by NPP Secretary-General Chen Meng-hsiu (陳孟秀), he added.
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