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.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or