Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday urged the New Power Party (NPP) to continue with its election campaign despite its tight budget and think about what it stands for.
“The NPP is feeling alive again,” Chen wrote on Facebook after meeting with NPP Chairman Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), NPP office director Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) and Kaohsiung City Councilor Lin Yu-kai (林于凱), who visited his home in Kaohsiung.
The meeting was arranged on Hsu’s request and lasted for about an hour, NPP spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said, adding that it was a learning experience for Hsu.
Photo: Peng Wan-hsin, Taipei Times
The NPP would like to visit a senior politician, given that it has nominated legislative candidates in Kaohsiung and has city councilors there, Lee said.
Chen Shui-bian was particularly interested in the NPP’s campaign in the city’s Fongshan District (鳳山) and encouraged the NPP to conduct an election campaign that is “true to itself,” Lee said.
The group discussed general matters as well as the nation’s political landscape, Chen Hui-min said, adding that the former president, who is on medical parole, seemed to have retained his sharp senses.
Chen Shui-bian encouraged the NPP to have individuality, make the most of a financially difficult campaign and think clearly what its purpose is, he said.
Chen Shui-bian told them that he had initially thought that the NPP lacked a clear objective and was on the brink of dissolution, which worried him, as he believed that the NPP performed well at the legislature, Chen Hui-min said.
Meeting with Hsu allayed Chen Shui-bian’s worries and he was convinced that the party “would not fall apart,” Chen Hui-min said.
The former president said he had been brainstorming about how to help President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) win the election, adding that if it was a head-to-head race between Tsai and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Tsai had a greater chance of winning, Chen Hui-min said.
If Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) or Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) entered as a third candidate, Tsai would need to think about whether she needs a new strategy, Chen Shui-bian was quoted as saying.
The former president urged Chen Hui-min to visit markets and show up at intersections to boost her visibility in her run a legislative seat representing Fongshan, as this would help her against mobilization by the KMT, which hinges on an old network, Chen Hui-min said.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”