The People First Party (PFP) yesterday reiterated PFP Chairman James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) promise that he would only be a one-term president if he wins Jan. 11’s election and added that he would use the four years to rebuild Taiwan’s civil service system.
Soong made the pledge to be a one-term president at the first platform presentation for presidential candidates on Wednesday.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has let cliques within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) decide how political resources should be used, he said, adding that this had severely affected the nation’s policy direction.
“I do solemnly swear that I am only going to serve one term, during which I would clean up the mess and rectify the situation,” Soong said. “I would defend the sovereignty of the Republic of China, and am determined to preserve its freedom and democracy.”
“I would seek neither independence from nor unification with China in the next four years,” he said.
PFP spokeswoman Belle Yu (于美人) yesterday denied that Soong had ad libbed the promise in response to Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, who said that he himself is getting old and does not have much time left.
“What Chairman Soong wants is four years with the nation unfettered by political ideologies so the government can focus on domestic policies,” Yu said. “As he would only be in office for four years, he would not carry any baggage, nor would he have to worry about rewarding supporters. He can concentrate on rebuilding the nation’s civil service system, which he is determined to do.”
“Frankly, I think the approach is moving,” she said.
Asked if four years might not be enough to implement the PFP’s policies, Yu said people need to realize that it would be sufficient.
“Incumbents always say that they need eight years to ensure continuity in governance. Then what?” Yu said. “The nation has seen vicious power struggles between the pan-blue and pan-green camps for 20 years.”
Soong is seeking four years to put political strife aside and unite the people to face challenges at home and overseas without any baggage, she said.
Soong was the only one on the stage who actually spoke like a presidential candidate, Yu said.
He did not deviate from his central theme, she said, adding that he has already approved and reviewed things he is to say in the next two platform presentations.
His only shortcoming was that he spoke a bit too rapidly in the ad lib section, she said.
The PFP is content that there is at least one presidential debate set for Dec. 29, Yu said.
The voice of the people should be heard through a real debate over policies, otherwise they will learn nothing from this election, she said.
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
RSS