Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said he is to leave the post with many “beautiful memories,” including presiding over the party’s primary process to decide the presidential ticket and the party’s success in January’s national elections.
Yesterday was the last time Cho presided over a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee, as he is to turn over the party’s reins to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday next week, when she is to be inaugurated for a second term as president and serve concurrently as party chairperson.
DPP Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉), a former top aide to then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), one of the prominent youth leaders of the 2014 Sunflower Movement, are also to leave office on the same day, as Tsai is expected to bring along her own team to fill the party’s executive positions.
Media speculation about the their next moves is rife, including running as DPP candidates in future elections, Cabinet appointments or working for public foundations.
The three were mum when asked by reporters yesterday.
After the meeting, Cho said he is satisfied with the work that has been done with the contributions of party executives and all DPP members.
“That we have successfully made it through this past more than one year ... I will leave with many ‘beautiful memories’ and finish up with a meaningful full-stop,” he said.
Cho, who started his tenure in January last year, recounted presiding over by-elections for vacant legislator seats, the internal process to decide on the presidential and vice presidential nominees, and the arduous campaign for the presidential and legislative races, culminating in the party’s victory on Jan. 11.
He encouraged all party members to work selflessly for reform, and not to forget society’s expectations that “we must pass on these worthwhile traditions to the next generation.”
“There will always be winners and losers in a competition, and we all must deal with the result in a rational way,” he said.
However, Cho said he would also leave with some regrets as he was unable to mediate some disputes, such as an internal election to choose the head of the DPP’s regional office for Taipei, with former legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) and former Taipei City councilor Wang Hsiao-wei (王孝維) vying for the position.
Cho in the afternoon said talks were under way to resolve the differences between the two camps, and if no agreement can be achieved by 8pm, then the election for Taipei party office chief would be suspended for the time being.
As of press time last night, party officials said they were drafting a statement regarding a decision that would be announced today.
He also rejected allegations by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members about a campaign to recall Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), saying: “Our party is not directly involved in this. We have only followed its development closely.”
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.