Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday asked voters to support the DPP's call for amending the Constitution, saying the government can launch a new phrase of constitutional reform if the DPP becomes the largest party after year-end elections.
"Taiwan's current Constitution came into effect in 1947," said Lu, explaining that it was designed to encompass all of China, and has become too unwieldy for Taiwan's modern political reality. "It is one of the major reasons why the DPP government has been unable to do its best since it assumed power last May," she said
Lu yesterday campaigned for DPP legislative candidates Lai Chin-lin (賴勁麟), Chen Chao-lung (陳朝龍) and Wang Shu-hui (王淑慧), who are all former members of the National Assembly.
Lu stressed that voters can count on the three candidates to reform the Legislative Yuan because they all subscribe to the party's platform which advocates the abolishment of the National Assembly.
"To implement the ideal of a unicameral system," Lu said, "they joined the movement years ago and had given up their rights as assembly members. So, compared with other political parties, only the DPP candidates can really strive for the promise to downsize the Legislative Yuan and accomplish other constitutional reform."
At a DPP campaign rally last night in Chiayi County, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) again targeted two opposition leaders, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), saying that even though it has been over 500 days since the transfer of power, the two still refuse to accept the fact that they lost the presidential election.
"One of those two people who lost in the presidential election never undertook any self-examination but only put the blame on his predecessor Lee Teng-hui (
Chen also accused Soong of "fighting for Taiwan's people only with words while using actions when it comes to fighting for his own self-interest."
"He is still telling people that he did not lose the election," Chen said.
"It obviously shows that this person still refuses to recognize Chen Shui-bian as president."
Responding to the KMT's prediction of a landslide victory in the December elections, the DPP yesterday taunted its rival.
"The KMT said that it is now `far' ahead of other parties," DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said. "I think what the party meant was that it is ahead only in those `far away' areas such as Matzu Island."
WHAT WAS ALL THAT FOR? Jaw Shaw-kong said that Cheng Li-wen had pushed for more drastic cuts and attacked him, just for the outcome to be nearly identical to his bill The legislature yesterday passed a supplementary budget bill to fund the purchase of separate packages of US military equipment, with the combined amount of spending capped at NT$780 billion (US$24.8 billion). The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their legislative majority to pass the bill, which runs until 2033 and has two main funding provisions. One was for NT$300 billion of arms sales already approved by the US for Taiwan on Dec. 17 last year, the other was for NT$480 billion for another arms package expected to be announced by Washington. The bill, which fell short of the NT$1.25
Taiwanese shares yesterday posted a record daily gain of more than 1,700 points to close above 40,000 points for the first time, led by large-cap semiconductor stocks such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) amid optimism about the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. The TAIEX ended up 1,778.51 points, or 4.57 percent, at 40,705.14 after moving between 39,228.39 and 40,755.52, while the New Taiwan dollar closed up NT$0.038 at NT$31.610 per US dollar, ending three consecutive sessions of declines. Turnover on the main board totaled NT$1.007 trillion (US$31.9 billion), with foreign institutional investors buying a net NT$66.98 billion
A former television news host and six military personnel — active and retired — have been indicted on espionage charges, Kaohsiung prosecutors said yesterday. Lin Chen-you (林宸佑), a former CTi News host and YouTuber, last year allegedly made videos at the direction of a Chinese agent criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party’s recall campaign, the Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office told a news conference in Kaohsiung. He allegedly received 4,325 tether coins for the videos from an unidentified person surnamed Huang (黃), believed to be an agent of a hostile foreign power, they said. Lin, also known as Ma Te (馬德), has a show named
NON-INTERFERENCE: The US called Taiwan a trusted and capable partner, while an African Union leader urged nations to reflect on respect for sovereign choices Taiwan is a “trusted and capable” partner of the US and Taipei’s global relationships, including with Eswatini, provide significant benefits, the US Department of State said of President William Lai’s (賴清德) trip to the southern African kingdom. Lai arrived in the former Swaziland on Saturday on a surprise visit after a planned trip last month was canceled when Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar denied overflight permission for his aircraft due to Chinese pressure. “Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner of the United States and many others, and its relationships around the world provide significant benefits to the citizens of those countries,
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