Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday encouraged People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) to “stride fearlessly forward” in his presidential bid, but declined to say if he would support Soong.
Ko was in the morning asked to comment on Soong’s widely expected bid, which Soong announced later in the day.
Ko said that he had been discussing with his aides about what pleasantries to put on flowers he would send to Soong’s news conference, finally deciding on the Chinese idiom “stride fearlessly forward” (勇往直前).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The latest issue of Chinese-language Want Weekly magazine, published yesterday, cited an anonymous source as saying that Soong had wanted to cooperate with Ko in next year’s legislative elections and even considered nominating him to run for president, but the plans were abandoned after Ko formed the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in August.
While Ko has said that forming the TPP was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the source said that Ko had been planning it for about four months and had secretly “poached” the PFP’s talent, such as asking then-PFP Taipei City Councilor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) to become a Taipei deputy mayor and former PFP Taipei city councilor Lin Kuo-cheng’s (林國成) daughter Lin Chen-yu (林珍羽) to become TPP spokeswoman.
According to the source, many of Ko’s fan clubs in southern Taiwan were established by PFP members, so some PFP members think that Ko had been intentionally “deceiving” the party, the magazine said, adding that Soong’s decision to run for president again is aimed at preventing the PFP legislative caucus from unraveling.
Ko, who is also TPP chairman, said that Soong’s presidential bid would likely affect the TPP’s number of legislator-at-large seats.
However, if everyone does what they do best, it would be in the nation’s best interest, Ko said, adding that while the TPP would do its best in the final 60 days before the election, he would still give his blessing to Soong.
Ko cited Soong as telling him that rather than let the two largest parties bicker, his participation in the presidential election would allow him to have a say in more important issues.
However, asked if he would support Soong, with whom he used to have a good relationship, in the presidential election, Ko said that he would send his blessings to Soong.
The presidential election is conducted by secret ballot, he said, brushing off the question.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS