President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that being “unafraid to make sacrifices” and dedicated to “the protection of the nation” were qualities she shared with an 18th century Hakka martyr.
Tsai, who is seeking re-election on Jan. 11, made the remark during a campaign event at Jhutian Township’s (竹田) Liou Duei Temple in her family’s home county of Pingtung.
The temple is dedicated to Zhong Yonggong (忠勇公), a Hakka martyr who helped Qing Dynasty officials quell a rebellion led by Kaohsiung peasant Zhu Yigui (朱一貴) in 1721.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
As a fellow Hakka, Tsai said that she shares Zhong’s spirit of sacrifice for the nation.
Taiwan has undergone many revolutions and is always improving, part of that being the elevation in status of Hakka culture and language, she said.
The Hakka way of life is unique and the government has promoted it as part of the development of the international tourism industry, Tsai said, adding that such efforts have attracted Japanese and South Korean travelers, who come to visit Hakka communities.
Photo: Tsai Cheng-min, Taipei Times
The temple is to celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2021, for which the government is to establish a committee and treat it as a “national-level” project, she said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, attended a religious ceremony in Miaoli County.
Taiwanese voting for the Chinese character for “disorder” (luan, 亂) to be the representative character for the year shows that the public is unhappy and anxious about the future, Han said, adding that he attended the ceremony to show support for the religious community, which has “always prayed for the nation’s good fortune.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Separately yesterday, People First Party (PFP) caucus whip Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) told reporters that PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), the party’s presidential candidate, was “happy to participate in a televised presidential debate.”
The PFP was open to debates held by any station, but had already signed an agreement to participate in a debate held by Sanlih Entertainment Television, Lee said.
On Friday, Soong criticized Han’s description of himself as “good-hearted,” saying that “good-heartedness cannot necessarily fly an airplane.”
The KMT presidential candidate not only lacks experience, but also the leadership qualities required for the position, Soong said.
Soong also criticized the DPP’s role in a two-party system that he said was “building up walls” and “dividing Taiwan.”
In contrast, Soong portrayed himself as a bridge builder, proposing reforms, such as the institution of an annual “state of the union” address and reducing political influence on civil servants, to ease divisions in the government.
Soong said that if elected, he would seek majority support in the Legislative Yuan when appointing a premier and establish a mechanism for the president to consult with representatives of each political party on matters including foreign affairs and national defense.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
EVA Airways president Sun Chia-ming (孫嘉明) and other senior executives yesterday bowed in apology over the death of a flight attendant, saying the company has begun improving its health-reporting, review and work coordination mechanisms. “We promise to handle this matter with the utmost responsibility to ensure safer and healthier working conditions for all EVA Air employees,” Sun said. The flight attendant, a woman surnamed Sun (孫), died on Friday last week of undisclosed causes shortly after returning from a work assignment in Milan, Italy, the airline said. Chinese-language media reported that the woman fell ill working on a Taipei-to-Milan flight on Sept. 22
COUNTERMEASURE: Taiwan was to implement controls for 47 tech products bound for South Africa after the latter downgraded and renamed Taipei’s ‘de facto’ offices The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still reviewing a new agreement proposed by the South African government last month to regulate the status of reciprocal representative offices, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Asked about the latest developments in a year-long controversy over Taiwan’s de facto representative office in South Africa, Lin during a legislative session said that the ministry was consulting with legal experts on the proposed new agreement. While the new proposal offers Taiwan greater flexibility, the ministry does not find it acceptable, Lin said without elaborating. The ministry is still open to resuming retaliatory measures against South
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
RSS