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.”
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) yesterday said that private-sector refiners are willing to stop buying Russian naphtha should the EU ask them to, after a group of non-governmental organizations, including the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), criticized the nation’s continued business with the country. While Taiwan joined the US and its Western allies in putting broad sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, it did not explicitly ban imports of naphtha, a major hard-currency earner for Russia. While state-owned firms stopped importing Russian oil in 2023, there is no restriction on private companies to
President William Lai (賴清德) is expected to announce a new advanced “all-domain” air defense system to better defend against China when he gives his keynote national day speech today, four sources familiar with the matter said. Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding its own advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles. Lai is expected to announce the air defense system dubbed “Taiwan Dome” in his speech this morning, one of the sources said. The system