The DPP's ninth annual National Congress closed yesterday, overclouded by talk of vote-buying and power-grabbing, which made it impossible for the party to reach any solid conclusions regarding its values or future direction as a ruling party, party heavyweights said.
"The public questions the DPP's ability to help President Chen carry out the DPP platform as well as his campaign promises, and the party's Congress made no effort to give an answer to this question which would point out the party's direction," said Hong Chi-chang (
Hong said that over the past 13 years the DPP's annual Congress has played a key role in Taiwan's democratic development because party leaders always tried to raise a debate or announce a historical declaration about the country's future. Party leaders, however, apparently kept their countenance to avoid getting involved in any issues related to party reform, waiting to see what President Chen wanted, Hong said.
"Most party officials at the party's central headquarters joined the new government, and therefore party factions' leaders still waiting to see what the president has to say before expressing their own opinions," Hong said.
Another issue that party heavyweights worried about was that party factions' leaders used inappropriate measures -- such as vote buying and gift-giving -- to win the party's internal election for the Central Standing Committee, the party's top decision-making body.
Many DPP leaders said the DPP was looking increasingly like the KMT in its election processes.
"Vote-buying is no news at all to the DPP," said Lee Wen-chung (
He said tales of bribery were circulating as candidates for the party's 30-member central executive committee engaged in last-ditch efforts to gain support.
Some party delegates revealed that to be elected as one of 30 members of the Central Executive Committee, some candidates promised to pay up to NT$1.4 million just to buy one vote.
DPP Chairman Lin I-hsiung (
Presidential Office Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (
But he said that a decision had been arrived at by the party to crack down on any members found violating the rules.
"These efforts show that President Chen and the party are still committed to clean government," Chang said.
DPP Lawmaker Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said that vote-buying was a major element of Taiwan's "black-gold politics" problem and therefore he suggested a revision to the Election and Recall Laws to allow the Judiciary to investigate the internal elections of any political party.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work