The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday it would develop closer ties with grassroots and civic movements in an attempt to reform the party and get closer to mainstream public opinion.
Speaking after a meeting of the DPP’s Central Standing Committee held to discuss the party’s direction over the next year, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) called this year the party’s “social movement year,” saying that only by bringing in more “social power” could the party revive itself and perform well in the city mayor and county commissioner elections scheduled for the end of this year.
Citing media reports interpreting the party’s emphasis on social movements as a return to the party of “street protests,” Tsai said such views were narrow and misleading.
“A social movement is not a street movement,” she said.
Tsai said the party wanted to be a strong opposition to monitor the government’s performance and better connect with grassroots and civic organizations.
The party should forge links with civic groups to strengthen its ideals and social responsibility, consult academics to strengthen its analysis capabilities and listen to the public so it could better represent mainstream opinion, she said.
The meeting concluded that the party would have three priorities this year: linking with civic movements, helping people deal with the economic downturn and rising unemployment, and winning the mayoral and county commissioner elections, Tsai said.
Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), a party spokesman, said the party would form several consultation committees to integrate opinions on different matters, including a first-tier election policy committee, a social development committee, a policy-making committee, a foreign affairs committee, a second-tier women’s committee, youth, Aborigine and Hakka committees, as well as a China policy committee.
To counter the government’s China-leaning polices, Tsai said the committee would form an “all citizens safeguard Taiwan movement,” which would not only protect Taiwan’s sovereignty, but also its culture, industry and products.
Tsai renewed her invitation to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to attend the national civic affairs conference the party will hold later this month, saying the party hoped Ma could attend and listen to the real voices of the public, which would be helpful for him in ruling the country — especially when delegates discuss economic issues.
Also See: Analysis: DPP faces most testing period in its history
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS