Singer-turned-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Tian (余天) is counting on support from fellow entertainers to continue his legislative career.
After media speculation that the party would not include the popular folk singer on its roster of -legislators-at-large, supporters yesterday took out half-page advertisements in popular newspapers.
Signed by TV hosts Chang Fei (張菲), Hu Gua (胡瓜), singer Lotus Wang (王彩樺) and 30 other television entertainers, the statement called on the DPP to ensure that the folk singer was nominated next year.
The New Taipei City (新北市) legislator “is the only lawmaker that represents the arts and entertainment industry,” the statement read. “Nominating Yu as a legislator-at-large would showcase the DPP’s support of and dedication to local culture.”
According to media reports, Yu could be the first high-profile casualty of the DPP’s roster of -legislators-at-large, who will be elected based on the proportion of the party’s vote in January’s election.
Yesterday was the final day of internal party discussions regarding the list before it was set to be approved this afternoon.
Yu was passed up by a party nomination for the seat in the pan-green stronghold of Sanchong District (三重), where he won in 2008, in favor of DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) as it was thought that Yu would face a tough re-election bid.
However, with only 16 or 17 places on the legislator-at-large roster considered by party officials to be “safe” — as the DPP only elected 14 legislators-at-large in 2008 — there has been increasing concern among DPP leaders on how to avoid a showdown between factions within the party that are vying for a share of the nominations.
DPP officials, led by party Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), expect to unveil the roster this afternoon after it is approved by a DPP committee.
When asked about whether Yu had been taken off the list, Tsai yesterday said that “currently, no one has been ruled out and no one is considered safe.”
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
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
RSS