Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday made surprising announcements hours apart that they were dropping out of the party chair election next month, leaving former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) the favorite to win what had been expected to be a fierce three-way race.
Tsai and former Kaohsiung County deputy commissioner Kuo Tai-lin (郭泰麟) will likely be the remaining candidates in the election to determine who will lead the party from this year to 2016.
Su made his announcement at about 8am in a press release, saying that he would not seek re-election because he “could not bear to see the DPP torn apart” by the potentially fierce competition in the biennial election “at the moment when there are a lot of battles to be fought.”
Su was referring to the seven-in-one elections in November, a campaign to stop the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮) and the changing political dynamics following the three-week Sunflower movement.
Su said he had encountered setbacks in building the DPP into what people hoped for, despite its support rate consistently leading the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in the past two years, adding that he was dropping out before the potentially hotly contested election could hurt party unity.
“I have taken a step back, but my effort of fighting for a better Taiwan will never stop,” he said.
Hsieh announced his decision at about 11am, also by a press release, in which he said that it was time to “return power back to the people” after the Sunflower movement and to end the DPP’s factionalism, listen to public’s voice and carry out necessary reforms.
The former premier said he understood Su’s position as both were founding members of the DPP.
Yesterday was the first day that the DPP headquarters began accepting application forms from contenders, with Kuo the only remaining candidate who has completed the required registration work.
Tsai, who served as DPP chairperson between 2008 and 2012, called the decision by Su and Hsieh courageous, and hinted that she would remain in the race.
“As Taiwan is weathering various critical challenges, unity and cooperation will be a shared responsibility for every DPP member and we have to firmly shoulder the task of passing on our legacy, carrying out party reform and engaging in dialogue with society,” Tsai said in a press release.
The DPP must recognize the power of an emerging civil society as shown in the Sunflower movement, and carry out a process of introspection that will redefine the party’s role in society, she added.
Su and Hsieh’s decision won praise from almost all DPP politicians, while the Association of DPP City and County Chapters endorsed Su’s decision in a press conference at the party headquarters.
DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), a Hsieh confidante who made waves on Saturday by calling for Su, Hsieh and Tsai to drop out of the race to make room for young politicians, denied that his initiative had anything to do with yesterday’s development.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Su had sacrificed himself for the greater good of the party.
Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) and former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) also applauded Su and Hsieh’s decision.
However, Lu said that if Tsai wished to run in the presidential election in 2016, she should not have entered the chair election because it would be difficult to serve as chairperson and run a presidential campaign at the same time.
KMT lawmakers had different views on the development, with Legislator Wu Yu-cheng (吳育昇) saying that Su had no choice but to give up his bid because he no longer had strong party support, while Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said that Tsai was the biggest beneficiary because she was the mastermind behind the Sunflower movement.
While the DPP had been kept on the sidelines of the Sunflower movement due to its lack of connection with the younger generation and civil society, this quick reaction was commendable, KMT Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said.
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