The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday agreed to allow young party members whose membership is less than a year old to help elect the party chairman in May.
The party’s Central Executive Committee, which met yesterday, approved the move, which will allow party members aged between 18 and 35 who have held party membership for less than a year to vote for the chairman next month.
In other words, those who were born after May 25, 1973 and joined the party before April 25 will be eligible to vote in the chairman election.
Currently, members of all ages who have held membership for more than one year are allowed to vote. The proposal, presented by DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), is meant to boost participation by younger members.
The committee agreed to move the date for electing a new party head forward from May 25 to May 18, so the new chairman could assume office on May 21, one day after president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is sworn in.
The committee also decided to hold the party’s National Congress on May 4, which will discuss the revisions of party regulations among other things.
Hsieh told reporters after yesterday’s meeting that all committee members agreed to allow young party members to elect the chairman in May without resorting to a vote.
Some had expressed concern that some party members interested in running for chairman might take advantage of the opportunity to pay the membership fees for others, especially young new members.
Hsieh yesterday said that he was not worried because the new measure will have a limited effect on the chairman’s election since only an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 young members would join in the vote. The party has about 256,000 eligible voters.
Hsieh said that his proposal was not self-serving because he has made it clear that he would not run in the race.
“The main purpose is to encourage young people to join the DPP and like the party,” he said.
Committee members, however, expressed different opinions.
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said that she did not oppose Hsieh’s proposal, but younger people would not necessarily like the DPP simply because of the incentive.
Committee member Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said that she thought the age limit should be increased to 40 years old.
Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) urged prudence when it comes to changing the rules, saying it would be unfair to older members.
Regarding the chairmanship election, Hsieh said that interested aspirants must register between April 14 and April 18 and pay a deposit of NT$1.5 million (US$49,000). He revealed that two party members have already expressed an interest in the race.
He would negotiate among interested aspirants and would have an election if the negotiations failed.
‘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
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
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
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