Coming on the heels of their televised political forum Saturday, both candidates for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Yesterday Ma took his campaign to Kaohsiung where he told supporters that he appreciates Wang for his experience in the legislature. But he told partisans there to "affirm Wang Jin-pyng but vote for Ma Ying-jeou."
The Taipei mayor also said that the KMT should not be divided after the chairmanship election, regardless of who wins the election.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YIH, TAIPEI TIMES
Addressing long-standing doubts about his relationship with Wang, given their rivalry in the chairmanship election, Ma said that he and Wang have both promised to work together.
Should he lose, said Ma, he will accept any party duties Wang delegates to him. Similarly, should be win, he and Wang will, together to administer the KMT, Ma said.
Echoing comments he made during his televised speech on Saturday, Ma said that "reform is not a just slogan."
"We must let everyone believe that the KMT [is worthy of] hope. Only this way can we appeal to moderate voters and young voters," Ma said.
The Taipei mayor also took the opportunity to criticize the administration of President Chen Shui-bian (
"The Executive Yuan wishes to revise the Referendum Law (
"While referendums are not some sort of monster, it should be the people themselves who take the initiative push for political participation, not the government," Ma said.
The Cabinet proposed an amendment to the Referendum Law last week to lower the necessary number of people to initiate a referendum. Since the proposal was made, it has faced heavy criticism by the pan-blue camp in the legislature.
Currently, to initiate a referendum, at least 0.5 percent of all qualified voters -- approximately 80,000 people -- must endorse a referendum initiative.
Chen has already publicly said that it is impossible to make a new constitution or to change the nation's name, meaning he should put all efforts into the economy instead of his pushing for amendments, Ma said.
Meanwhile, Wang yesterday mingled with supporters in Changhua County, and sought the support of young party members there.
"Everyone says that Ma is very handsome, but there are also people that say that there are different kinds of good-looking," Wang said yesterday.
"Ma Ying-jeou is one kind of handsome, and Wang Jin-pyng is another kind of handsome." he said jokingly.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS