President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said it was not him but grassroots supporters who wanted former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) to stand in the legislative elections in January.
Chen said his wife was once against his own election bids but in the end "put the interest of the whole above everything else."
Chen said he believed Luo would discuss the matter with his wife, who would also "put the interest of the whole above everything else" and let him stand in the election.
Chen made the remarks in Lujhou City (蘆洲), Taipei County, yesterday morning.
Chen said he realized elections are hard and understood why his and Luo's wife begrudged the toil they had to endure. He said that first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) had once asked for a divorce because of his candidaciess but he had thanked her and respected her for "donating" him to the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Chen said he thought the young people the DPP have recruited to run in the legislative elections are outstanding but they should start as city councilors and gradually accumulate political capital.
He said he recognized and respected Luo's courage to stand in the district legislative elections because the constituency has traditionally been a stronghold of the pan-blue alliance led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
He also praised Luo's decision to renounce his candidacy for a legislator-at-large as a "great" and "rare" decision.
Luo on Wednesday abandoned his bid for a legislator-at-large seat, but fell short of promising to stand in the district legislative elections.
Luo, who originally revealed on his Web log that he was interested in running for the legislature in Taipei's Da-an District (大安) constituency, said he needed time to discuss the issue with his wife, who is vehemently opposed to the idea.
Chen has invited Luo to replace Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) -- a former aide of Luo's -- in the constituency. The DPP's Central Executive Committee on Wednesday agreed that Kao could withdraw from the election. Kao said that she would endorse Luo if he is interested in the bid and is nominated by the party.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
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