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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS