Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) yesterday denied allegations that a DPP faction she is affiliated with was seeking to prevent Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) from succeeding Premier Lin Chuan (林全), but said she would welcome a Cabinet helmed by Lai should there be a reshuffle.
Chen said that a faction linked to former premier Yu Shyi-kun, as well as party members who follow President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), were not working to prevent Lai from becoming premier.
“It is purely a rumor and totally groundless,” Chen said. “We have never been informed of any such information and the Presidential Office has repeatedly denied it.”
Photo: Wang Han-ping, Taipei Times
Media outlets have reported that a major Cabinet reshuffle is expected next month, with Lai tipped to replace Lin as premier to form a new Cabinet ahead of next year’s nine-in-one elections.
Yu sought to prevent a Lai Cabinet, despite the mayor’s popularity, reports said.
Chen said the reports might have been derived from a misunderstanding of comments Yu made on the New Taipei City mayoral election, saying that the highest-polling candidate should be nominated.
Photo: Su Fang-he, Taipei Times
Yu on Thursday last week said he had no intention of running in New Taipei City and had asked the DPP to nominate Lai.
With Lai considered the best DPP candidate to challenge the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) rule in the municipality, Yu’s comments were reasonable election strategy, not a scheme to prevent him from becoming the next premier, Chen said.
“There is nothing scheming about Yu’s comments and he remains thoroughly consistent,” she said.
“The speculation that Lai would succeed Lin was purely coincidental,” she said. “To interpret coincidence as an attempt to obstruct Lai is far-fetched.”
Chen, who represents Tainan, said she would support Lai to head the Cabinet, because it would be an honor for Tainan residents.
Much attention has been given to Lai, as he is a likely candidate to succeed Tsai as the DPP’s presidential candidate in 2024, but his New Tide faction has not always been in agreement with Tsai’s and Yu’s factions over pension reform and legislation to allow same-sex marriage.
Lai is apparently not keen to run for mayor of New Taipei City and has supported DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui’s (吳秉叡) bid, but he remains a likely candidate, as opinion polls have shown that he was the only DPP politician who could compete with New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the KMT, who is expected to run for the post next year.
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
GIVE BACK: The president thanked immigrants, recounting heartwarming stories, from a gymnast helping athletes shine internationally to a spouse helping the disadvantaged There is no need to amend the law to exempt Chinese spouses from single allegiance to the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that such changes would only increase the public’s doubts toward new residents from China and would not improve social harmony. Taiwan is a democratic, diverse and free country, he said. “No matter which ethnic group you belong to, where you come from or when you arrive, as long as you identify with Taiwan, you are masters of this country,” he said. Taiwan is a democratic nation that follows the rule of law, where immigrants are
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
LOOPHOLES: The defense ministry’s proposed amendments to the military criminal code harm security interests and set the evidentiary threshold too high, an expert said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have proposed revising military laws to stipulate that any active-duty military personnel who express allegiance to the enemy could face two to seven years in prison, adding that soldiers’ loyalty to the nation means “no freedom of expression.” In the past few years some military personnel have pledged allegiance to China through videos and documents, but it is not punishable under the law. In its draft amendment to Article 24 of the Criminal Code of the Armed Forces (陸海空軍刑法), the Ministry of National Defense proposed only making actions that “harm the military’s interests” punishable, citing freedom of
RSS