Tensions within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) appeared to be rising in the wake of Saturday’s disappointing showings in the special municipality elections, with some calling for DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to either resign or abandon a possible presidential bid.
Several DPP heavyweights, who had ostensibly given Tsai their support after three prior by-election successes earlier this year, have publicly spoken out over the past two days saying she should take responsibility for Saturday’s less-than-stellar results.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who serves on the party’s Central Executive Committee, launched a stinging attack on Sunday, asking why the DPP was unable to find any better candidates.
PHOTO: KUO YEN-HUI, TAIPEI TIMES
MOVING ON
“She has already lost one [municipal] election, how come the media continues to portray her as an aspirant for election to an even higher post?” Lu said in an interview on SET TV. “Doesn’t the DPP have other talent?”
Other politicians in the party’s kung-ma (or “elders”) faction took the rhetoric to an even higher level, using TV appearances yesterday to directly call on Tsai to resign.
Past DPP leaders, they said, have all stepped down following electoral defeats.
“At the very least we had expected three seats or even four seats, but we only ended up with two. Of course she should step down as [party leader],” Huang -Ching-lin (黃慶林), the former head of the DPP’s Taipei City chapter, told FTV News.
Similar sentiments were also made by You Ching (尤清), a former Taipei County commissioner who lost to Tsai during the party’s leadership elections in May.
The remarks were believed to reflect fears that Tsai would follow in the footsteps of former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who battled President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in the 2008 presidential election despite losing a campaign for Taipei City mayor two years earlier. Hsieh lost to Ma by 17 percent.
Tsai and former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in particular were expected to take at least one seat in northern Taiwan on Saturday. Tsai, however, lost by a margin of 5 percentage points and Su by 12 percentage points, leading DPP officials to officially label the elections a defeat.
SUPPORT
Despite the setbacks, most DPP lawmakers said they would continue to support Tsai, pointing to fairly substantial gains in the popular vote nationwide. The DPP caucus officially said it would speak against any proposals to remove Tsai from power.
“I don’t see the reason why Tsai should have to resign. There’s no reason at all and we all oppose it,” DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said. “If she were to resign, it would probably make President Ma very happy.”
Deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that if any member of the Central Standing Committee were to raise a proposal calling on Tsai to step down, the entire caucus would unanimously oppose the motion.
Only one legislator, Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), also a prominent figure in the kung-ma faction, saw things differently, saying Tsai should either step down or forgo a future possible presidential bid, adding that she should focus on one role at a time.
PLANS UNCLEAR
Tsai, in her first public appearance since the elections, said the party had yet to officially sit down and discuss how it would tackle its nominations for 2012.
“I have [already] made myself very clear and it will not be an issue,” she said.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who was re-elected by a landslide in Kaohsiung, said she continued to support Tsai as chairperson, emphasizing that the party had done rather well in the popular vote.
DPP party headquarters made substantial efforts during the election campaign, Chen said, adding that the party did not fail to meet its goals in the elections.
Asked if she had any aspirations for a presidential bid in 2012, Chen declined to comment.
“It is not an issue,” Chen said on her way to thank voters.
In related developments, Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), who lost his mayoral bid to Chen, said he would not rule out the possibility of cooperating with the KMT.
“Cooperation with anyone or any political party is possible as long as it benefits Taiwan, Taiwanese and Kaohsiung,” Yang said.
Yang, a former DPP member, also urged the party to revise its China policy and pursue a “pragmatic” direction.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS