Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday received a boost as the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) and a group of academics openly endorsed her bid.
In a speech at the TSU’s 10th anniversary celebration yesterday, Tsai said that during the DPP’s reforms over the past three years, the party has maintained close ties with the TSU and it has been a very enjoyable experience working with them.
Thanking the TSU for throwing its support behind her presidential campaign and the DPP’s legislative nominees, Tsai said she hoped the TSU would be able to pass the threshold required to earn a legislative seat and she looked forward to working with the TSU in the legislature.
Photo: Sean Chao, Taipei Times
Parties are required to receive 5 percent of the vote to nominate candidates for legislator-at-large seats.
Tsai said in her speech that the public was worried that a possible cross-strait peace accord mentioned by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would deprive the next generation of Taiwanese of a choice about their future, so the current generation should shoulder the responsibility.
“As such, the TSU and the DPP should work together even more closely and guard Taiwan,” she said.
On the nation’s economy, Tsai said the public needs an empathetic government that takes care of those who need help, not like the current government, which thought that every economic problem would be solved with the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), the TSU’s spiritual leader, did not attend the event as he is still recovering from surgery he underwent last month to have a tumor removed.
TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) read a statement on Lee’s behalf, which called for voters to cast their ballots for Tsai for president, the DPP for legislators and the TSU for their party vote.
According to Huang, although the New Party and the People First Party split from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the current core mentality of KMT decisionmakers was the same “China Unification” path as the New Party, only with a different packaging to attract neutral voters.
“The KMT is using the New Party to make a show and make believe that the KMT is a party of a modest path,” he said.
At a separate setting yesterday, a group of academics, including several from Academia Sinica, formed an alliance in support of Tsai’s presidential bid.
Academia Sinica’s Lin Ming-chang (林明璋) served as honorary convener of the group, while Taiwan Association of University Professors president Chang Yen-hsien (張炎憲) served as the official convener.
Expressing her gratitude, Tsai said that being an Academia Sinica academic was once her dream.
“I am overcome with gratitude and a sense of responsibility today seeing so many academics and scholars show up to support my campaign, “ she said.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff writer
EMBRACE CHANGE: Jensen Huang told NTU graduates that instead of worrying about AI itself, they should worry that people with expertise in AI would be taking their jobs Artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining the computer industry, and Taiwanese companies could play a major role in replacing the world’s traditional computers as they are the foundation of the industry, Nvidia Corp cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said in Taipei yesterday. Huang made the remarks while giving the keynote speech at National Taiwan University’s (NTU) commencement ceremony. AI has created immense opportunities, and versatile companies can be expected to take advantage and boost their position, while less flexible firms would perish, he said. “In every way, this is a rebirth of the computer industry and a golden opportunity for the companies of
‘ARCHAIC’: An interpretation of a law that considered Chinese as Taiwanese nationals was scrapped after the death of a Chinese in Kaohsiung led to state reparations An administrative mandate to consider Chinese as Taiwanese citizens was outdated, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, a day after the Executive Yuan ordered that agencies disregard the 30-year-old interpretation. Chen made the remarks at an event held by the Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei following changes to the administrative mandate concerning the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例). The previous interpretation of the law was archaic and contrary to the workings of laws and regulations, he said, adding that the order was made to avoid unnecessary problems created by the mandate. The Mainland
NOT BUYING IT: One of the goals of Beijing’s Cross-Strait Media People Summit was to draw mainstream media executives to discuss the ‘one country, two systems’ formula Taiwanese news media insist on press freedom and professionalism, and would never become a tool of China’s “united front” campaign, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday, responding to media queries about the lack of Taiwanese media executives at the Cross-Strait Media People Summit in Beijing. Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧) was reportedly furious that no Taiwanese media representatives attended a scheduled meeting with him on Thursday last week. “Beijing should take Taiwan’s determination to pursue freedom and democracy seriously. We also hope that it will not use vicious means to interfere with Taiwan’s development into a
IMMIGRATION REFORM: The legislative amendments aim to protect the rights of families to reunify, and to attract skilled professionals to stay and work in Taiwan Foreigners who are highly skilled professionals, top-prize winners in professional disciplines, investment immigration applicants or have made special contributions to Taiwan can soon apply for permanent residency on behalf of their spouses and minor or disabled children after the legislature approved amendments to the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法). The amendments, which were proposed by the Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Executive Yuan on Jan. 12, aim to attract foreign talent to Taiwan and encourage them to stay. They would take effect once they are signed by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). The amendments involved changing 63 articles, making it the biggest
RSS