Reversing a decision made last Saturday, the People First Party yesterday put the name of Chairman James Soong (
Soong ranks No. 11 on the list.
The change was made after legislator Robert Hsu (徐成焜), who was originally the 11th nominee, turned down the offer.
PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) said that although a number of Soong's supporters had suggested that Soong should be included on the list, he rejected the proposal because he felt that the limited openings should be awarded to other long-time members.
Chang is also the convener of the party's nomination committee.
He said that since the nominee list was finalized last Saturday, he has received many phone calls from supporters expressing their unhappiness with the party's decision not to include Soong.
Hsu, in the meantime, asked the party to remove his name from the list.
Chang said that the circumstances prompted him to consult Soong yesterday to see if he would change his mind -- and Soong agreed.
A party's share of votes in the legislative elections determines its number of legislator-at-large seats. A total of 41 legislator-at-large seats are available. Based on a forecast of the party's likely performance in the Dec. 1 polls, the PFP could win eight to 10 legislator-at-large seats.
By placing Soong toward the bottom of the list the party may attract more votes from supporters who want to see him enter the legislature.
Chang, however, denied yesterday that his party made the arrangement as a tactic to boost the PFP's legislative campaign, saying the main purpose of the PFP was to form an excellent team in the legislature that could make a real contribution to the nation.
Chang predicted that the PFP would be have no problem winning 11 legislator-at-large seats, in light of its broad popular support.
Additional reporting by Joyce Huang
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
RSS