President Chen Shui-bian's (
Wang is slated to propose changes to party regulations at the DPP's July 18 National Congress meeting. The proposed changes would restrict party members from participating in factional activities and would provide penalties for failing to comply. All existing party factions would have to disband within three months of the passage of Wang's draft regulation.
The draft has won the endorsement of at least 57 DPP lawmakers from across factions, including New Tide Faction Legislators Chen Chin-chun (陳景峻), Julian Kuo (郭正亮) and Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) -- and has also gained the support of some 400 representatives to the party congress.
historical residue
Wang's proposal came in the wake of Chen's call last week for DPP government and party officials to cease participating in factional activities in order to maintain administrative neutrality and to rid the party of the entrenched factionalism it suffers from.
The new regulations would prohibit maintaining faction offices, holding faction meetings, recruiting members and charging membership fees. Party members who organized factional activities would be suspended from the party for two years, while those who participated in factional activities would face a one-year suspension. The regulations would also prohibit factions from operating as foundations or social groups.
New Tide Faction Legislator Julian Kuo, who supports the proposed regulations, said that factions were the historical residue of personal connections and were not based on the bonds of ideals. Kuo said that such organizations are harmful to the development of a modern political party.
"Most of the current factions only function to distribute party resources or influence internal party elections, which is very unhealthy for the party's development. The factions should be dissolved, and then new factions could be established based on shared beliefs," Kuo said.
Factionalism has long dominated the DPP's operations, particularly in the distribution of party resources and party positions -- including positions as chief of party departments and memberships in the Central Standing Committee, Central Executive Committee and Central Review Committee.
Even the heads of the DPP legislative caucuses have been chosen by factions. Factional domination of the legislature reached its peak in the 1995 legislative election -- as the three major caucus leader positions in the six legislative sessions spanning the entire three-year legislative term were allocated immediately after the election.
stumbling block
Wang said he couldn't deny that the proposed regulations are aimed at the New Tide Faction, as it is the most organized and active clique within the DPP.
Kuo said the New Tide Faction used to be a more democratic organization, but it has now become a group whose major decisions are dictated by faction leaders such as Legislator Hung Chi-chang (
The New Tide Faction is one of the oldest factions in the DPP, having been established in 1986. It has long dominated major personnel positions at party headquarters.
In addition to Hung, Lin and Wu, other prominent members of the faction including National Security Council Secretary-general Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council. Chiou is seen as having reduced his participation in factional activities since he took a governmental post.
Other factions still active include the Justice Alliance (
Chen Shui-bian has withdrawn from all factional activities since he became president in 2000.
Legislator Lin Chung-mo (
Tsai Huang-lang (蔡煌瑯), director general of the Justice Alliance and currently the DPP's legislative caucus whip, said that the factions need to be reexamined instead of dissolved, as the existence of factions is only human.
A member of the New Tide Faction who disagrees with the abolition of the groups is DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS