Former premier William Lai (賴清德), who has registered as a candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential primary, in a livestream hosted by Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢) on Tuesday talked about the economy, reforms, nuclear energy and the primary.
Lai defined the DPP’s idea of an “independent Taiwan” as “Taiwan being an independent country named the Republic of China [ROC],” adding that there is no need to declare independence, as Taiwan fits every criterion of a sovereign nation.
Former presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), supported taking back China for the ROC, Lai said, adding that if in the post-Chiang era their disciples were to accept unification, the ROC would cease to exist.
Screen grab from the Internet
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) New Year’s address was “tough” on national sovereignty issues and it is up to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to match her stance, Chen said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “five points” are pressuring the pan-blue camp to sign a peace accord, “but any such accord would be fake,” Lai said, adding that had a peace accord been useful, Tibet would not be in its current state.
He was referring to the 1951 Seventeen-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, which promised religious freedom and autonomy for Tibetans.
“Taiwan should not become a second Hong Kong or Tibet,” Lai said.
He said he is running in the primary because pan-green camp supporters are worried that losing next year’s presidential election — along with fewer seats in the legislature — would be detrimental to the promotion of democratic values and the preservation of the nation’s sovereignty.
Responding to the issue of whether to grant a special pardon to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Lai called for judiciary reforms so that everyone can have a fair and just trial, adding that the public should consider the case with more leniency.
Holger Chen said that soldiers, police officers and firefighters should have a pension program different from that for office workers due to the dangerous nature of their professions, and criticized the government’s decision to reduce the military budget, as well as pensions and benefits for retired police and military officers.
Lai said that reforming the pension fund for civil servants, military personnel and public-school teachers was necessary, as it was facing imminent insolvency.
The reductions would ensure the fund’s survival, Lai said, adding that without the reforms, civil servants, military personnel and public-school teachers would have no pensions.
Commenting on promoting non-partisan politics, Lai praised a collaboration between the pan-green and pan-blue camps.
Holger Chen said that police should be given greater authority.
Protesters from the China Unification Promotion Party often stage protests at the gym he runs, Holger Chen said, adding that such gang-like behavior should not be protected just because they operate under the guise of a political party.
Lai said that amendments last year to the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例) provide greater leeway for police to crack down on gang-related activities.
Following the interview, Holger Chen was asked by reporters whether he supported Tsai or Lai, to which he said it would depend on their policies and stance on Taiwanese sovereignty.
People should retain their sovereignty and personal liberties regardless of which party is in power, he added.
Lai said that the interview was not purposefully scheduled to coincide with Tsai’s video conference with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Brookings Institution and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
A Keelung high school on Saturday night apologized for using a picture containing a Chinese flag on the cover of the senior yearbook, adding that it has recalled the books and pledged to provide students new ones before graduation on Thursday. Of 309 Affiliated Keelung Maritime Senior High School of National Taiwan Ocean University graduates, 248 had purchased the yearbook. Some students said that the printer committed an outrageous error in including the picture, while others said that nobody would notice such a small flag on the cover. Other students said that they cared more about the photographs of classmates and what was
GOING INTERNATIONAL: Rakuten Girls squad leader Ula Shen said she was surprised that baseball fans outside of Taiwan not only knew of them, but also knew their names Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Oakland Athletics on Saturday hosted its first Taiwanese Heritage Day event at the Oakland Coliseum with a performance by Taiwanese cheerleading squad the Rakuten Girls and a video message from Vice President William Lai (賴清德). The Rakuten Girls, who are the cheerleaders for the CPBL’s Rakuten Monkeys, performed in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, followed by a prerecorded address by Lai about Taiwan’s baseball culture and democratic spirit. Taiwanese pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸), who was signed by the Athletics earlier this year, was also present. Mizuki Lin (林襄), considered a “baseball cheerleading goddess” by Taiwanese
WAY OF THE RUKAI: ‘Values deemed worthy often exist amid discomfort, so when people go against the flow, nature becomes entwined with our lives,’ a student said “Run, don’t walk” after your dreams, Nvidia cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) told National Taiwan University (NTU) graduates yesterday, as several major universities held in-person graduation ceremonies for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. “What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it. Run, don’t walk. Remember, either you’re running for food, or you are running from becoming food. Oftentimes, you can’t tell which. Either way, run,” he said. Huang was one of several tech executives addressing graduating students at Taiwanese universities. National Chengchi University held two ceremonies, with alumnus Patrick Pan (潘先國), who is head of Taiwan
A 14-legged giant isopod is the highlight of a new dish at a ramen restaurant in Taipei and it has people lining up — both for pictures and for a bite from this bowl of noodles. Since “The Ramen Boy” launched the limited-edition noodle bowl on Monday last week, declaring in a social media post that it had “finally got this dream ingredient,” more than 100 people have joined a waiting list to dine at the restaurant. “It is so attractive because of its appearance — it looks very cute,” said the 37-year-old owner of the restaurant, who wanted to be