Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), yesterday said she is considering seeking party nomination for the Taipei mayoral election on Nov. 24.
Considering the perceived falling-out between the DPP and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) — to whom the DPP yielded the candidacy for the 2014 Taipei mayoral race — she would be “doing the right thing” by seeking the nomination, Lu told reporters at a meeting with DPP Taipei city councilor candidates for the Zhongzheng (中正)-Wanhua (萬華) and Zhongshan (中山)-Datong (大同) constituencies in Taipei.
Lu said she informed President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who doubles as DPP chairperson, of her desire to run two months ago, adding that she entertained the idea of running even before the 2014 Taipei mayoral election.
Photo: CNA
Lu said that Tsai likely has her priorities, considering that the DPP is holding primaries in other cities and counties, but that she would “wait very patiently” for the DPP to announce its decision on the Taipei mayoral election, which she would “absolutely respect.”
Comparing Taipei to Taiwan’s “last frontier,” Lu said that the capital needs to be “guarded” by someone who “identifies strongly” with Taiwan.
The DPP gave Ko its unstinting support four years ago, which she respected, but as “very few” DPP members still support Ko, she would take the initiative and do the right thing, she said.
Citing her political experience, Lu said that with some thought, she would be capable of “jazzing Taipei up” in a short period of time, if given the opportunity.
Lu said she had not discussed her plans with DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智), who announced his bid to run for Taipei mayor last year.
“We are close friends and could work out an agreement that best serves Taiwan’s interest through coordination and discussion,” she said.
Lu also spoke about an idea to reshuffle the nation’s administrative areas into six special municipalities by merging Taipei with Keelung, New Taipei City and Yilan; Taoyuan with Hsinchu and Miaoli; Taichung with Changhua and Nantou; Tainan with Yunlin and Chiayi; Kaohsiung with Pingtung; and Hualien with Taitung.
Mountains with an altitude above 1,000m, as well as the nation’s outlying islands, could be zoned as special administrative districts, she said.
The proposed administrative division would allow fairer distribution of resources, thereby helping the nation attain sustainable growth, Lu said.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS