In spite of the slow economy, the ruling DPP's Mainstream Faction (
Organizers of the banquet were surprised by the high turnout in light of Taiwan's current economic difficulties and the NT$50,000 per head donation required to attend the fund-raising event.
"I'm impressed by the full house, which shows [your] confidence in the DPP and the Mainstream Faction's candidates," President Chen Shui-bian (
He added that he was confident that the DPP would win at least 12 seats in the mayoral and county commissioners' elections, as well as a landslide legislative victory.
"We've raised at least NT$60 million," the faction's treasurer Cheng Pao-ching (
He also said that total donations had yet to be calculated since some supporters made contributions in excess of NT$1 million.
More than 100 tables at 12 heads per table packed the fund-raising banquet last night.
Cheng attributed yesterday's full house to supporters' counter-reaction to media predictions that "few would attend [the faction's] fund-raising banquet" and that "party legislators complained of less enthusiastic support this year."
The faction had previously been accused of exerting its influence by forcing non-DPP government officials to canvass for donations.
Yesterday Cheng flatly denied such accusations, saying that "those non-DPP government officials who attended the fundraiser haven't paid a cent."
However, few non-DPP government officials attended last night's event.
Only Vice Premier Lai In-jaw (賴英照) made an appearance midway through the event.
Among the notable DPP officials who took turns rallying supporters at the event were Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), Minister of Transportation and Communication Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) and DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
Yesterday was the first time in the runup to the December elections that Lu has made an appearance at a DPP campaign function.
"This is a most expensive meal, but what is most precious is your love for Taiwan and support for the party," Lu told the crowd, sending her best regards to the faction's 41 candidates.
Urging the public to help the DPP become the biggest party in the new legislature, Chang and Hsieh said that helping the party was the only way to secure the country's political stability, economic prosperity and long-term development.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS