People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday officially signed up for the Jan. 14 presidential election, calling on the public to look beyond party lines and vote for him.
Ending months of speculation about his determination to join the race, Soong and his running mate, Lin Ruey-shiung (林瑞雄), completed the registration process at the Central Election Commission (CEC) and promised to improve the overall environment for Taiwanese at a press conference together with the party’s legislator-at-large candidates.
“Elections in democratic societies look to elect wise and capable candidates, rather than pan-blue or pan-green [candidates]. Taiwan has suffered from the vicious conflict between the two camps in the past 10 years, and people should put a stop to this and find new hope through their ballot,” Soong said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Amid cheers from about 100 supporters chanting “Let’s send Soong to the Presidential Office,” Soong slammed President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), accusing them of poor performance and incompetence in leading the nation forward. He also accused the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of corruption.
“Ma launched a ‘home stay’ campaign; I think we should let those who don’t have the people in mind ‘stay home,’” he said.
“The DPP’s presidential campaign slogan is ‘Taiwan Next,’ but Taiwan should be the first. I will make Taiwan the pride of Asia,” he said.
The Soong-Lin ticket was the third team to formally throw its hat into the ring, following the lead of the KMT ticket of Ma and Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) and the DPP pairing of Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全).
Lin displayed a document he said would dispel rumors that he possesses dual citizenship. The document, issued by the US Department of State on Monday, reads “certificate of loss of nationality of the United States.”
According to the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), aspirants should not hold dual nationality on the date they register their candidacies.
“I am no longer a US citizen, and I think this should stop the rumors,” Lin said.
The commission said it would collect the documents provided by Lin and double-check them with related government agencies.
The issue of Lin’s nationality drew attention after Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明), chairman of a KMT splinter group, the New Party, was quoted in a recent newspaper report as saying that the Soong-Lin ticket might not register for the presidential election because Lin was “probably still a US citizen.”
Soong said he looked forward to hearing a public apology from Yok over the nationality issue.
The PFP also unveiled its list of 18 legislator-at-large candidates, with PFP adviser and National Chengchi University professor Thomas Lee (李桐豪), writer Chang Hsiao-feng (張曉風), former Miaoli County commissioner Fu Hsueh-peng (傅學鵬) and Ming Chuan University assistant professor Chen Yi-jie (陳怡潔) topping the list.
Soong’s registration, viewed as a potential election spoiler in the eyes of the KMT, has put an end to a possible cooperation between the two parties.
Former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) acknowledged that Soong’s participation in the race has engendered a sense of crisis in the pan-blue camp amid fears of a split in the vote.
“Instead of complaining about each other, we should turn this sense of crisis into strength and join efforts to claim victory in the elections,” he said.
Chuang Po-chun (莊伯仲), director of the KMT’s Culture and Communication Committee, said the KMT respected Soong’s decision, adding that the two parties would engage in a gentleman’s race in the presidential and legislative elections.
Additional reporting by CNA
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS