Political observers said yesterday that opposition party candidates should not waste their time worrying about whether the KMT would move to postpone elections but instead focus on expanding grass-roots support.
Concerns over the possibility that President Lee Teng-hui's (
But Lee said at a press conference on Tuesday that the constitution was clear about presidential elections, and his term will expire next year on May 20.
However, New Party and DPP legislative caucus leaders demanded yesterday that President Lee clearly inform the public whether or not the presidential election, scheduled for March 18, would be postponed.
Speaking at a press conference for foreign reporters yesterday, C.J. Chen (
"It really depends on how reconstruction plans proceed," Cheng said.
He added that five months remain until the presidential elections.
Scholars pointed out that there is no political or legal reason to postpone the presidential election.
"Now KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (連戰) is in position to lead the political scene, dominated by the reconstruction effort. The opposition party should be worried about their roles in the reconstruction, not whether the elections will be postponed," said Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), a political scientist at Chungcheng University.
Scholars also agreed yesterday that the DPP and its presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (
"The ruling party will take responsibility for reconstruction projects which will put Lien on center stage in the restoration process," Lin said.
"But it is not necessary for other candidates to compete for the limelight. They [other candidates] should concentrate on helping NGOs and assisting local governments coordinate resources," Lin said.
"If the central government does well in the reconstruction efforts, Lien may give his popular support a boost. But if it only draws criticism, people will shift their support to other candidates who have worked at the grass-roots level," Lin added.
Chen led a delegation on a four-day visit to Japan beginning Tuesday to gather information from the Japanese government and non-governmental organizations on that country's earthquake experiences.
Chen said Taiwan did not have experience in post-quake reconstruction nor in managing cooperation between central and local administrations after a crisis of this size.
Chen said he hoped to bring back feasible methods for Taiwan's NGOs.
"Four years ago the Kobe quake in Japan caused damage far more serious than Taiwan's 921 quake," Chen said. "However, the Japanese government successfully and quickly coordinated all powers and resources from local administrations and non-government organizations." Chen is expected to meet with Kobe NGO leaders to discuss with local officials how they cooperated and worked.
The DPP central Headquarters announced its intention yesterday to establish a volunteer center for helping local administrations in areas hard hit by the earthquake.
"To coordinate all NGO resources in efficiently reconstructing the disaster areas in central Taiwan, that is the opposition party's job," said DPP secretary-general Yu hsi-kun.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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