Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing’s (楊秋興) announcement that he will run as an independent has not shaken the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) confidence on its chances in the Greater Kaohsiung elections.
Releasing a poll yesterday, the DPP said the entry of the two-term commissioner in the race would actually take more than a third of pan-blue supporter’s votes from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順).
If the elections were held tomorrow, the DPP’s candidate, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), would win by a more than 30 percent margin, with 53.7 percent of the vote, against 22.6 percent for Yang and 15.3 percent for Huang.
While Huang would still obtain 38.5 percent support among pan-blue voters, Yang would follow a close second with 34.2 percent. On the other hand, the county commissioner would only receive 15.8 percent support from pan-green voters against 80.8 percent for Chen.
Hopes for an 11th-hour breakthrough were dashed after Chen’s campaign was unable to reach an agreement with Yang that would see him continue on with the party, despite the commissioner speaking with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) on Saturday, amid hopes of reconciliation.
Yang is the first prominent politician to defect from the opposition party since DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) became leader two years ago. The party is only starting to get back on its feet following a series of devastating electoral defeats in 2007 and 2008.
The move, along with concerns among DPP circles that it could also trigger a defection from Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), will undoubtedly cast questions on Tsai’s leadership as she leads the DPP into what is seen as a mid-term election before the 2012 presidential elections.
Fears that Hsu could also launch an independent bid have heightened in the past week after a number of sources close to him were reportedly caught saying that he would make an announcement on Sunday.
Speaking yesterday, Hsu spoke highly of Yang and criticized both the DPP primaries and the party’s Greater Tainan candidate, William Lai (賴清德). However, he did not confirm the reports that he would also run outside of the party.
Tsai also left Hsu’s future moves to the imagination yesterday, saying that while the DPP was staying on top of new developments in Tainan, it did not want to “talk too much about it to avoid impacting the negotiations.”
Possible intervention by the KMT has been cited by the DPP as a reason behind Yang’s decision. DPP spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said they had received reports that KMT politicians in the area had been working to create a split between Yang and Chen.
“It was made clear early on that the KMT has been attempting to influence the DPP party primaries,” Lin said.
The comments have led to speculation that the KMT could give up its own candidate to elect Yang, remarks that KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) denied yesterday.
Speaking on the split, King said the opposition should avoid blaming its own “household problems” on the KMT and that he would take personal responsibility if the DPP could prove the allegations.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS