Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh said that it was worth considering whether KMT dominance in the legislature would turn into a "dictatorial leadership" if it won the presidential contest.
"The KMT should have been more modest and kept a lower profile after winning the legislative elections," Hsieh said. "But it went back on its promise to allow smaller parties some of the seats on legislative committees and took them all."
Some of the conveners are embroiled in legal cases or have conflicts of interest in the committee they sit on, he said.
Hsieh made the remarks during a press conference at his campaign office yesterday morning.
With an absolute majority, Hsieh said the KMT caucus is planning to reverse the legislative decision that would push four "sunshine bills" to the second reading.
While KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
"The basic mechanism of checks and balances is collapsing and Ma cannot do anything about it," Hsieh said. "The people will suffer because of his incompetence."
The KMT dominance in the legislature only proves Ma's argument is nothing but an empty gesture because if he won the presidential election, he could not rein in the KMT-controlled legislature.
Hsieh said he agreed with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who said during an interview with the Public Television Service on Monday that he was worried that those who are not heard in the legislature would take to the streets.
"We don't want to see that happen because it is a step backward for the country's democratic process," he said. "That is why it is so important to have a president who can act as a check on the power of the KMT."
Hsieh yesterday continued to question the "cross-strait common market" proposed by Ma's running mate Vincent Siew (
Hsieh said that election platforms can be altered but it must be done so in an open and dignified manner.
"How can they put their platforms into practice if they cannot tell us exactly what they are," Hsieh said, adding that Ma dodged or denied parts of his platform when under pressure.
Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), a Hsieh camp spokesman, said that he would like to ask Siew five questions.
First, he would like to know whether Siew has ever advocated the "one China market" as his party's new direction. Second, he would like to know whether Siew has urged faster investment in China. Third, he would like to know whether Siew has echoed China's proposal of an "special economic zone" on the west side of the Taiwan Strait. Fourth, has Siew proposed to export agricultural technology, talent and capital to China in response to China's plan to build an experimental area for cross-strait agricultural cooperation? Finally, has he ever said the "cross-strait common market" is a "one China market" and its precondition is "one China, with each side having its own interpretation" and its goals would be "direct transportation links," "an agreement on trade reciprocity" and "a uniform currency and tariffs."
At a separate setting in Taipei yesterday afternoon, Hsieh proposed to revive small and medium-size bus-inesses, reinvigorate traditional industries and offer incentives to lure Taiwanese merchants based in China back home.
When asked to comment on Hsieh's remark that he would appoint Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) or KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) as premier if elected president, Wang, who later attended the same event, dismissed it as an election gambit.
Meanwhile, Ma's camp yesterday accused the DPP caucus of twisting Ma's remarks on the recognition of Chinese education credentials. Ma's spokesman Shyu Jong-shyoung (
"Opening up Chinese educational credentials requires supplementary measures, and I am against letting those with Chinese credentials take national examinations for professional licenses," Ma said in the video.
Shyu condemned the DPP caucus for using only part of Ma's words in a recent campaign commercial and twisting Ma's policies.
"Voters in central and southern Taiwan are influenced by such negative campaign tactics. We urge Hsieh to restrain his staff from continuing such low tricks," Shyu said yesterday at Ma's campaign headquarters.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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