President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) should serve as the DPP's chairman to help put an end to factional infighting that threatens to undermine the party, DPP heavyweight Sheng Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) said yesterday.
In his new book The Premier Voyage of the Century (
"The president should serve concurrently as the party's chairman, in order to settle the disagreements between his administration and the party," Sheng said yesterday.
In addition, Sheng said the president should dismiss his nine-member policy-making task force, as it's no longer able to coordinate effectively between the government and the party.
Shortly after the DPP came to power, Sheng called for the party to allow its elected officials to play leading roles in the DPP's policy-making process.
"We can learn from the US, where political parties only serve as `election machines,'" Sheng said. "Two of the party's major responsibilities then would be to nominate electoral candidates and raise funds for election campaigns," Sheng once told the Taipei Times.
The DPP heavyweight added that party policy should be reserved for the party's candidates and elected officials to debate and decide.
Sheng's proposal, however, did not attract much support at the time.
Many have clung to the party's long tradition of honoring its Central Standing Committee and National Congress as its highest policy-making bodies, both of whose members are democratically elected to represent the voices of the DPP's members.
The election of its party chairman by its members was also a progressive and democratic model that the KMT followed, many DPP heavyweights said.
Because Chen has blamed the party's dysfunctional policy-making bodies for failing to deliver him the support necessary to govern, Sheng renewed his proposal yesterday.
Lee Wen-chung (李文忠), a member of the party's New Tide (新潮流) faction, said Chen should incorporate the party's Central Standing Committee into his administration and expand its policy-making powers.
Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), of the party's Justice Alliance (正義連線), said that the committee should be reformed, as seats on the policy-making body are mostly occupied by faction members.
Leader of the party's Welfare State Alliance (福利國連線), Trong Chai (蔡同榮), said the party's central headquarters should take the initiative in mapping out reform plans, but downplayed the seriousness of factional infighting.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
CHIPS AND DEFENSE: Trump said the US had lost its chip business and Taipei should pay it for defense, and added that ‘we’re no different than an insurance company’ Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense. Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei. “I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday. “I think
SHOW OF SUPPORT: Taiwan has been one of the largest buyers of US defense equipment, supporting American businesses and jobs, US lawmakers said Taiwan has been paying for its own defense, a US Department of State official said on Wednesday, adding that purchases of military equipment are important to the US economy and for ensuring regional security. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked at a news conference about comments by former US president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in November’s US presidential election, who said during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay Washington for its defense needs. “The purchases that they [Taiwan] have made not only are important, we believe, to regional security, but are important to the United States economy,”