Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday turned over the party chairpersonship to Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who will serve as acting chairperson until a party election is held in May.
The handover ceremony was held after a Central Standing Committee meeting in Taipei yesterday afternoon.
Chen thanked Tsai for what she called her great contributions to the party and said the momentum Tsai had created toward party reform would not slow under her leadership.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Chen said she would soon form a party affairs reform task force to discuss the party’s organization, direction, reform and policies.
People would be welcome to air their opinions at the discussions, and she hoped ideas voiced in them could be used as a reference for the next party leader.
“‘Why do people want the DPP to govern the country?’ and ‘What are the core values of a DPP government?’ — Those are key questions I and all party members should ask ourselves,” Chen said.
The ultimate goal for the DPP is not to win the 2016 presidential election or any other election, but to keep its commitment to establishing a better Taiwan, Chen said. Being in charge of the government is a means to fulfill that commitment, she said.
She also promised that the May election for the chairperson would be fair and transparent.
Meanwhile, Tsai said at the ceremony: “Being unable to lead the party back to power is my biggest regret.”
As to why the party was defeated in the recent presidential election, Tsai said: “I will give the party feedback, in the hope that the party can expand its social base.”
On her own role in the party’s future, she said: “I will not forget my commitment to Taiwan’s society and I will continue to contribute to this land.”
“I know people want to know where I am going. Actually my thinking is very simple. The reason I could reach this place was because people gave me a chance, and I would like to repay people through such things as public welfare activities,” Tsai said.
Tsai said she turned down an offer by the party to host a farewell event for her because she wanted to keep the day low-key.
A crowd of party officials and staffers lined up on both sides of the DPP headquarters’ entrance to see Tsai off with flowers and farewells.
Tsai submitted her resignation to the party after losing the presidential election on Jan. 14, but later agreed to remain at her post until yesterday, to give time for an acting chairperson to be found to lead the party until an election could be held.
Tsai will set up an office on Changan E Road in Taipei.
Last night, Tsai treated DPP staffers and members to a screening of The Lady, a movie about Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS