Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that while she understood some of the criticism leveled at the party by Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), the criticism had been made in an “overly emotional” fashion.
On Thursday, the two-term DPP mayor said that since he lost the party primaries in May, he had faced a series of attacks and criticism by party members on TV talk shows over his record in office.
Addressing the Tainan City Council, an emotional Hsu told reporters that “no other democratic party in the world attacked its compatriots like the [DPP]” and likened the opposition party to a mafia.
In response, Tsai said that while the comments were regrettable, she recognized that Hsu made them in response to being verbally attacked on national TV by certain people.
“I can understand his feelings … and why he made the comments,” she said during a campaign stop in Taipei County.
Hsu has been under increasing pressure recently to clarify whether he will make an independent run for Greater Tainan mayor after losing the primaries to DPP legislator William Lai (賴清德).
A group of supporters in Tainan County believed to have close connections with the incumbent mayor has twice given dates when they expected Hsu to publicly announce his intentions. However, those two dates — the latest was yesterday — have come and gone.
Local media yesterday reported that Hsu was “drawing a blank,” unable to come to a decision.
“I [realize] there are limits to my abilities and I can’t see the future clearly,” Hsu told CNA.
He also refused to say when he would make a public announcement on the matter.
Lai, currently traveling in the US, was not available for comment.
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