Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) has applied to join the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the suggestion of its presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
Lim said he is ready to campaign for the DPP for January’s elections.
In a Facebook post on Monday evening, he wrote that remaining nonpartisan helped him in his international work, but as those duties concluded last month, he was ready to take on another role.
Photo: CNA
“At this final stage, I will stand with my partners,” Lim said, adding that he would help, “as a member of the DPP,” with the party’s presidential campaign and its efforts to secure more than half of the legislative seats, the musician-turned-politician said.
“Go all out and work hard together,” he said.
The 47-year-old Lim, the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Chthonic and a human rights activist, helped establish the New Power Party in 2015 and was elected as a legislator in January 2016.
Following differences with other members regarding the NPP’s direction, Lim withdrew from the party on Aug. 1, 2019.
In January 2020, he was re-elected as an independent.
Last year, efforts by Lim’s opponents to recall him for what they described as “poor performance” failed. In March, he announced that he would not run in next year’s legislative race, due to a family illness.
The DPP currently holds 63 seats in the 113-seat legislature, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has 37, plus one ally legislator.
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