The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday officially launched its campaign for the year-end special municipality elections with DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) outlining the party's platform to hundreds of supporters in Taipei City, vowing to fight an election battle based on governing experience.
All five of the party's candidates for the November elections stood together for the first time in a public appearance at the DPP's headquarters to thundering cries from fervent party supporters chanting, “Go, Taiwan! Go, DPP!”
Tsai said that since Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was elected president in 2008, the economy had languished, with stagnating personal incomes and the widening income gap impacting on government finances.
PHOTO: CNA
The Ma administration has failed to stand up for Taiwan's sovereignty, she added.
“The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government has wasted Taiwan's success and wasted Taiwan’s resources. It's up to us to make this government a thing of the past,” Tsai said.
Minutes before the DPP kicked off its election platform, the party's Central Executive Committee officially confirmed the party's nomination list, one week later than expected. Two last-minute decisions — a bid by Tsai in Sinbei City and DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) in Greater Taichung — were only announced on Sunday.
Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who is running on the DPP ticket in Taipei City, said the party's five candidates represented their best hope of fulfilling voter expectations.
“We are not giving up in any city ... Any responsible political party must nominate the candidates best able to answer the public’s hopes and willing to work on their behalf… the DPP has done that,” he said.
The 62-year-old, former Taipei county commissioner, said the November elections would show the rest of Taiwan that the DPP was once again back on its feet.
He pledged to defeat his KMT opponent, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), based on a election platform of “giving Taipei City a new future.”
“The pace of progress in Taipei has fallen behind in the last 12 years. The public wants change,” he said.
He also promised to work toward increasing the efficiency of city hall and Taipei's competitiveness.
Su Jia-chyuan played up his law-and-order and agricultural background, saying he was prepared to run a winning campaign in the long-time KMT stronghold.
He rejected accusations that the DPP had given up on the nation’s third most populous city and pumping his fist into the air, proclaimed “not only are we not giving up, we will win Greater Taichung.”
Su Jia-chyuan, 53, and a former Pingtung County Commissioner before going on to be council of agriculture minister and then minister of the interior under the former DPP administration, also promised to address social issues and promote balanced development in both the city and county.
Greater Tainan candidate William Lai (賴清德), currently a DPP lawmaker, said he would ensure the DPP continued its governance in the area generally considered a DPP lock, pledging to not only win in his own election, but also campaign to increase the number of DPP city councilors elected.
Party unity would also be a key factor in the race, added 50-year- old Lai, a Harvard graduate and former medical doctor.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who is running in the Greater Kaohsiung race, thanked supporters for continuing to stand behind the DPP.
The 59-year-old former Council of Labor minister and human rights activist said she had confidence in Taiwan, and that “Taiwanese have the ability to measure up to international [challenges].”
Tsai said that for her own run in Sinbei City, she would work to give residents “hope for the future,” and refrain from empty election slogans.
“Through quality governance, I will help them get back their pride as Sinbei City residents,” she said.
The 53-year-old Tsai, who has a background in law and used to be vice premier, has said that Sinbei City would be an ideal place to carry out the DPP's “10-year political master plan,” which includes policies dealing with the environment, social issues and the economy.
Calling the Nov. 27 elections “the most important in the history of the DPP,” Tsai said her party would aim for a perfect five out of five showing.
In response to the DPP’s pledge to win November's elections and “lay siege to the central government” by grabbing the reins of power at local government level, KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said the DPP's thinking was “outdated,” perpetuating the idea of confrontations with the central government.
“Taiwanese care about the competitiveness of their cities and the future of Taiwan. The DPP should cooperate with the KMT and look to the central government to help promote the prosperity of the local governments,” he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH
‘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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as