Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday campaigned for the party’s New Taipei City mayoral candidate, Yu Shyi-kun, denying rumors that Yu would eventually be replaced.
“The election will be a challenge for us, but we are determined to achieve the best results,” Tsai said at a breakfast meeting in the city’s Banciao District (板橋) yesterday morning, a day after Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced his decision to run for re-election.
Chu’s announcement, which ended months of speculation that he might forgo the election to focus on running for the party’s nomination for president in 2016, meant that Yu would facing the toughest opponent in the November poll.
The city’s development, rather than Chu’s political career and his future, is most important to New Taipei City residents, Tsai said.
“However, a simple re-examination of Chu’s performance over the past four years will show that he has achieved little and has betrayed his campaign promises,” she said.
Yu’s experience as premier and Yilan County commissioner are the most powerful endorsements of his talent, Tsai said, adding that it would “impossible” for the DPP to replace Yu as candidate.
Tsai also addressed KMT accusations that the DPP “has always been a coward in every issue related to Japan,” saying it had distorted the DPP’s position in the controversy over the exhibition of National Palace Museum artifacts in Tokyo.
Tsai reiterated that Taiwan’s integrity and sovereignty must be safeguarded, and that the DPP had stated its position clearly after learning that Tokyo had omitted the word “national” on some promotional posters for the exhibition. Tsai added that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should apply the same standard in all disputes with other countries, including China.
The DPP has accused Ma of being hawkish against any country but China when it comes to disputes.
Meanwhile, the DPP has established a task force to study recent controversies over new high-school history textbook guidelines and the Comprehensive Assessment Program under the new 12-year national education system.
Speaking after the DPP’s weekly Central Standing Committee meeting, Tsai said the Ma administration should hold responsible officials accountable for the chaos and stop pushing its political agenda over educational interests.
“We call for the government to immediately correct the mistakes in the first Comprehensive Assessment Program and to submit a timetable before September for the high school entrance program next year,” she said.
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