Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) yesterday officially launched his election bid for Greater Kaohsiung mayor, a move seen as intensifying a crisis for the opposition party in a traditionally pan-green stronghold.
Yang, who lost the DPP primary in May, launched his campaign in the afternoon, telling dozens of supporters it was his “duty and responsibility” to run as an independent for mayor of Greater Kaohsiung.
“It's a very conflicting decision for me, but now I have made up my mind,” he said. “I have been asked to run by business and religious figures as well as local residents who worry about Kaohsiung falling behind. I have the determination and will to make this city a better place.”
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
However, more than a dozen consultants with the Kaohsiung County Government resigned in protest upon learning of Yang's decision, saying they could no longer support Yang because the move went against Taiwan's interests and popular opinion.
“How could Yang make this decision when Taiwan's fate hangs in this critical [election],” said a statement signed by 13 senior consultants, including doctors, pro-independence stalwarts, a university president, a company chief executive and a radio producer.
All 13 had been handpicked by Yang, sources close to the county government said. Representatives from the group said more resignations were expected.
The group said Yang's decision gave a black eye to his political credibility because he had vowed to support the eventual winner during the party primaries. They heavily criticized his announcement, adding that it was fraught with “questionable excuses” and was unconvincing.
Their disapproval will undoubtedly come as a setback for Yang, who said during the announcement that he hoped to rise above cross-party politics and gather widespread local support.
“It's been detrimental for Taiwan to have the pan-blue and pan-green camps in constant election battles for the past decades. I'm running as an independent to try and appeal to the greatest public interest,” he told the press conference.
Asked whether he would seek support from the smaller opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union, Yang said that while he would not join any political party, he also wouldn't reject offers of support from other political figures or parties.
Initial hopes that Yang could maintain good relations with Kaohsiung County Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors — many of whom had worked with him for the past nine years — appeared to have been quashed last night after DPP caucus whip Chang Han-chung (張漢忠) said Yang's decision was “truly regrettable.”
Speaking for the other county councilors, Chang said in a statement after the press conference that they “respected Yang's decision ... but it was something that no one wanted to see happen.”
Hinting that losing councilors' backing could take away Yang's grassroots base, Chang said the commissioner's political successes stemmed from the continued support of villagers and other local forces, people who were bound to be upset by his announcement.
During his press conference, Yang repeatedly said he wanted to turn Greater Kaohsiung into a “second Singapore,” adding that he would revive the region's economy, improve living standards and keep local professionals from leaving Kaohsiung.
Born to a farming family in Kaohsiung County, the 54-year-old former engineer also appealed to local sympathies, calling himself “a local boy.”
“They [other mayors] leave right after their term is up,” he said. “This is why I'm imploring the public to give me, a local boy, a chance.”
His announcement immediately touched off a storm of controversy because his very public break with both Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and the DPP, a party that was his home for the past three decades, became official after weeks of speculation.
Chen, the DPP's candidate for Greater Kaohsiung mayor, beat Yang during the primaries by an 18 percent margin. Kaohsiung County will be merged with the city by the end of the year, creating the newly named municipality.
Sources close to Yang said it was unlikely he would back down despite DPP officials privately expressing optimism that he would change his mind before registering as a candidate next month.
Yang's entry into the race will turn the elections in Greater Kaohsiung into a three-way race with Chen and long-term Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順). The vote will take place on Nov. 27.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,