Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), yesterday in a letter to TPP members shared his thoughts following an alleged extramarital affair involving two party members.
The party on Wednesday expelled Taipei Culture Foundation deputy chief executive Chang Yi-san (張益贍), who was allegedly having an extramarital affair with TPP caucus assistant Tsai Yi-fang (蔡宜芳).
The party in a statement said that Chang was expelled because it had evidence of him discussing “negative campaign strategies” with a representative of another political party “without the authorization of the TPP.”
Photo courtesy of Taiwan People’s Party
Chang in a separate statement said that he would resign his post at the foundation after a magazine published photographs of him being intimate with Tsai during office hours.
“I told the media that I was shocked when I first heard the news and the shock slowly turned into anger. However, two days later, when I thought about it more calmly, I felt ashamed for the most part,” Ko said in the letter, which the party said was sent only to its members and not published on social media.
Chang was competent at his foundation post, which requires skills in public relations, coordination and keeping up with the latest trends in society, Ko said.
As the public questioned the foundation’s attendance management and use of funds, Ko said that he has demanded that the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the foundation, submit a review report, adding that he would in two weeks explain how the foundation plans to address the matter.
The party would also lay out clearer rules to regulate personal conduct in the public and private domains, Ko said.
Noting that many party members think that Tsai, who was stripped of party membership rights for one year, received a light punishment, Ko said that the TPP needs to shoulder part of the responsibility, as younger members know less about the boundaries for politicians.
“My aides have been constantly reminding me over the past year that I am losing fans, with some of them even becoming my haters. For that, I will reflect deeply on myself. I will continue to build better systems for the party and never stop changing Taiwan’s political culture,” Ko added.
Ko ended the letter with his pet phrase: “Fill your mind with virtuous intentions and do everything with all your strength.”
It is evident that some party members and fans are dissatisfied with the party’s handling of the incidents, so Ko hopes to boost morale and communicate more with them via the open letter, TPP spokesperson Ke Yu-an (柯昱安) said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS