Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智), the first Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member to declare his candidacy for the election for party chairperson in May, yesterday unveiled his initiative of “a third wave of Taiwan’s democratic movement” to transform the party.
“The DPP will not be able to save Taiwan simply by winning elections, and it will not win the next major election with its election-focused structure,” the former Tainan County commissioner told a press conference.
The party should transform itself into a “party of a new civil movement,” which cares deeply about the people, public affairs and public policy, he added.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
If the DPP fails to complete the transformation, it is not likely to return to power given that a coalition of the Chinese Nationalist party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken shape, Su said.
The veteran politician, who is not affiliated with any DPP faction, has been seen as a wild card in the DPP leadership race, which is scheduled to be held on May 27. Several heavyweights, including former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and acting party chairperson, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), are rumored to be keen on entering the race.
To regain the electorate’s trust and to increase the party’s outreach to local communities, Su proposed establishing care centers for the underprivileged and party offices across the nation. He also proposed a “shadow Cabinet” be set up, by a merger of the Policy Research Committee with staff from think tanks, to nurture future government officials.
The New Frontier Foundation, the DPP think tank, should be transformed into a facilitator of the new civil movement and promote various initiatives, such as southward investment by Taiwan’s small and medium-sized enterprises, Su said. This would enable businessmen to take advantage of the vast markets of South and Southeast Asia, he said.
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