The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday unveiled its legislator-at-large nominees for next year’s election, with Kuma Academy cofounder Puma Shen (沈伯洋) joining party stalwarts Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) and party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) at the top of the list.
The DPP Central Standing Committee finalized and approved the nominees at its regular midweek meeting.
Six men and six women make up the first 12 nominees, considered “safe positions” in winning enough votes to serve as legislators next year.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Legislators-at-large are elected through political party ballots. The New Power Party, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Green Party Taiwan have already decided their nominees, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has delayed its announcement to Sunday.
First on the DPP list is Jing Chuan Child Safety Foundation director Lin Yue-chin (林月琴), followed by Shen, a criminology professor at National Taipei University and chairman of Doublethink Lab.
He is also cofounder of the Kuma Academy, a nonprofit civil defense organization that trains people in first aid and media literacy to combat Chinese disinformation.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
“We are facing ever-changing situations in cyberattacks and infiltration from an enemy state, and it is not just the civilians who should prepare to defend Taiwan, but our government must also establish systems to safeguard our nation,” Shen said yesterday.
As a legislator-at-large, he would seek to set up defense networks to combat the cognitive warfare Taiwanese need to guard against, he said.
Third on the list is Taiwan Parks and Playgrounds for Children by Children chairwoman Ariel Chang (張雅琳), followed by Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰), an environmentalist and advocate for renewable energy.
At No. 5 is Malaysia-born Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲), who represents “new Taiwanese citizen groups,” such as foreigners married to Taiwanese. Lo previously served as a Nantou County councilor before becoming a legislator in 2020.
You is listed at No. 6, followed by Legislator Fan Yun (范雲), a women’s rights advocate, professor of sociology and founder of the Social Democratic Party.
At No. 8 is Ker, who represents Hsinchu City and has served in the legislature for nine consecutive terms over two decades.
Ker is followed by current legislators who represent powerful groups within the DPP: Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠) of the New Tide faction, Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) of a faction close to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and DPP spokeswoman Michelle Lin (林楚茵) of the Taiwan Forward Foundation, founded by media tycoon Lin Kun-hai (林崑海), who died last year.
Listed at No. 12 is entertainer and TV show host Jean Kuo (郭昱晴), who is also an artist and author, followed by Hope Foundation for Cancer Care chairman Wang Cheng-hsu (王正旭), who represents medical professionals, and civil engineering professor Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), a popular pundit on TV news and chief strategist at the Taiwan Thinktank.
Notably absent from the list is former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who gained wide appeal for his efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, but lost as the DPP’s candidate in Taipei’s mayoral election last year.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
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
RSS