Former vice premier Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday threw in her hat at the last minute to enter the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairmanship election on May 18.
Completing her registration less than an hour before the deadline yesterday afternoon, Tsai said she had not made the decision to run until yesterday morning.
“It was a big decision,” Tsai said, adding that while many of her friends encouraged her to run, a large number also tried to persuade her otherwise.
DECISION
In the end, she took the decision by herself.
Answering questions from reporters after registering, Tsai sidestepped questions regarding her frame of mind, saying simply: “The result is that I am here [to run for the chairmanship].”
Tsai, who is the only woman and at 52, the youngest candidate, is an early favorite to win the race. Former senior presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏), 82, and DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), 73, are also running for the DPP post.
After leaving the Cabinet led by former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Tsai in September established and chaired a government-sponsored biotech firm, TaiMed, teaming up with AIDS research pioneer David Ho (何大一) to speed up research into the development of AIDS vaccines.
Su resigned as premier after he lost the party’s presidential primary to Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
Tsai said she wished to turn the DPP into a party that is capable of converting ideas into “practical policies” because it is not merely an opposition force but a party with eight years of experience in government.
Credited with a clean image and lack of factional baggage, Tsai said the DPP had turned somewhat “bureaucratic” after eight years in power, but she wanted to bring the party back to the basics.
Tsai said she hoped the DPP could become an efficient party that can “rationally” compete and cooperate with other parties in policymaking, adding that she expected the party to become more tolerant on gender, ethnic, class and ideological issues.
PLATFORM
Tsai outlined 12 policies that would serve as her platform in leading the party, ranging from the party’s internal routine operations to its stance on cross-strait and international affairs.
The party’s cross-strait policy should be to defend the country’s sovereignty without impeding cross-strait economic exchanges, she said.
The situation in Taiwan, China and Asia has changed significantly over the past 10 to 20 years, and there will be a complete change in the region in the next 10 to 20 years, she said.
“How we view Asia and the world outside Asia decides how we see China,” Tsai said.
Koo said he would like to see the party replace the planned election with coordination between Tsai and himself because “Tsai will be a capable leader.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
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