Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) on Monday said that he would not seek election as mayor of the proposed special municipality of Hsinchu in a move that bolstered the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) bid to redraw the nation’s administrative map.
Lin wrote on Facebook that he had made the decision “to stop the political machinations of the opposition parties, and refocus the debate surrounding the upgrade to ‘Greater Hsinchu’ on the nation’s strategic development and the efficiency of governance.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has opposed the DPP’s plan to merge Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County into a special municipality, citing concerns that the scheme was calculated to personally benefit Lin.
Photo: CNA
“I fear that my personal political interests are getting in the way of the city’s development ... by renouncing my intention to run in 2022, I call on the opposition parties to heed the voices of Hsinchu residents,” Lin wrote.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) expressed their support for Lin’s decision to drop out of the nine-in-one elections next year, he added.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday said that Lin’s decision has long been in the making.
The proposed amendments to the Local Government Act (地方制度法) — which are necessary to complete the merger — should proceed without hindrance now that Lin has proved that the proposal was not to advance private interests, Ker said.
The DPP caucus had anticipated the opposition’s tactics when planning the merger, Ker added.
“The question before the KMT is, what excuse does it have left to delay amending the act?” he said.
In response, New Power Party Legislator Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智), who is reportedly mulling running for mayor of the proposed special municipality, accused Ker of politicking.
Ker should understand that Lin’s call to refocus the discussion on what is good for the region and the nation also applies to the DPP, Chiu said.
“There is no reason that the redrawing of county and city boundaries should coincide with an election,” he said, adding that the Executive Yuan should take responsibility by exerting its leadership when proposing bills.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS