Last week, former premier and former Kaohsiung mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) agreed to run in the Taipei mayoral race on behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). This is most certainly one of the best pieces of news the party has had since the the investigation into corruption among top DPP officials and members of the first family began.
It is no secret that Hsieh has his eyes on the DPP candidacy for the 2008 presidential election. Hsieh and President Chen Shui-bian (
This is not to mention that Hsieh was twice elected mayor of Kaohsiung City -- the only special municipality in Taiwan other than Taipei. Under the circumstances, the Taipei mayoral seat was simply not enough to attract Hsieh's interest and satisfy his ambition. Following Chen into the Presidential Office -- or at least winning the DPP's nomination -- has to be the next logical step in Hsieh's career plan.
It is also no secret that up until the time when the insider trading scandal involving Chen's son-in-law Chao Chien-ming (
But then Chao was taken into custody and Chen delegated most of his constitutional powers to Su. The "balance of power" and the race between the four superstars changed overnight. Su surpassed everyone else, and with the government more or less completely in his hands, Su has been given a chance to prove himself. Su is now not only the center of power, but also Chen's most likely successor -- that is, if Su performs well.
There are, of course, grave risks as well. With the pan-blue camp using every chance it can get to pull Su off his horse, he has every reason to fear becoming a casualty long before the 2008 presidential race even begins.
Under the circumstances, Hsieh's decision to run in the Taipei mayoral race is a wise move -- both for himself and for his party. For Hsieh, running for mayor will keep him in the media spotlight and give him the visibility he needs to maintain his status within the DPP. Even if he trails behind Su for now, at least there is a chance to catch up later. Of course, Hsieh is very likely to lose the mayoral race, given that the level of support for the DPP is at an all-time low and that voters in Taipei traditionally lean toward the pan-blues.
However, he will be remembered and revered by his comrades within the DPP for stepping up to fight a gritty battle. For the DPP, Hsieh's decision salvages the party from the embarrassment of having no candidate in the race. More importantly it gives the party some hope at a time when it has hit rock bottom. With a strong candidate in the race, the mayoral race is likely to become a focal point that unites the party -- and that is something that the DPP desperately needs at the moment.
China badly misread Japan. It sought to intimidate Tokyo into silence on Taiwan. Instead, it has achieved the opposite by hardening Japanese resolve. By trying to bludgeon a major power like Japan into accepting its “red lines” — above all on Taiwan — China laid bare the raw coercive logic of compellence now driving its foreign policy toward Asian states. From the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas to the Himalayan frontier, Beijing has increasingly relied on economic warfare, diplomatic intimidation and military pressure to bend neighbors to its will. Confident in its growing power, China appeared to believe
After more than three weeks since the Honduran elections took place, its National Electoral Council finally certified the new president of Honduras. During the campaign, the two leading contenders, Nasry Asfura and Salvador Nasralla, who according to the council were separated by 27,026 votes in the final tally, promised to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla refused to accept the result and said that he would challenge all the irregularities in court. However, with formal recognition from the US and rapid acknowledgment from key regional governments, including Argentina and Panama, a reversal of the results appears institutionally and politically
In 2009, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) made a welcome move to offer in-house contracts to all outsourced employees. It was a step forward for labor relations and the enterprise facing long-standing issues around outsourcing. TSMC founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) once said: “Anything that goes against basic values and principles must be reformed regardless of the cost — on this, there can be no compromise.” The quote is a testament to a core belief of the company’s culture: Injustices must be faced head-on and set right. If TSMC can be clear on its convictions, then should the Ministry of Education
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) provided several reasons for military drills it conducted in five zones around Taiwan on Monday and yesterday. The first was as a warning to “Taiwanese independence forces” to cease and desist. This is a consistent line from the Chinese authorities. The second was that the drills were aimed at “deterrence” of outside military intervention. Monday’s announcement of the drills was the first time that Beijing has publicly used the second reason for conducting such drills. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership is clearly rattled by “external forces” apparently consolidating around an intention to intervene. The targets of
RSS