Amid a proliferation in the number of candidates from minor parties standing in January’s legislative elections, some have grabbed attention with their unique agendas.
Motorists’ Party of the Republic of China (MPROC) Chairperson Bryan Dong (董建一) is standing in the legislative contest for New Taipei City’s Yonghe (永和) and Zhonghe (中和) districts, which would pit him against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Te-fu (林德福).
Founded in July last year, the MPROC advocates reforms to traffic regulations in a bid to create a friendlier environment for motorcyclists — such as lifting regulations that require motorcyclists to make two-point left turns at intersections.
Dong, who announced his candidacy in February, said that the rights of the nation’s 10 million motorcyclists have been neglected for too long, and that leaders from both major political parties have failed to address issues related to traffic safety and social welfare.
Dong might find himself competing against housing reform activist Lee Hsing-chang (李幸長), who is running as an independent in the same district. Lee is best known as the leader of the Snails Without Shells movement, a sleepout protest held on Aug. 26, 1989, against unaffordable housing, which saw more than 50,000 protesters camp out overnight on Taipei’s Zhongxiao E Road. He announced his decision to stand for election late last month, saying that he intended to continue promoting the reforms to housing policies that he first proposed 20 years ago.
The Tree Party, an environmentally focused political party founded last year after a split in the Green Party, is also set to field candidates in next year’s elections. Led by former Green Party leader Pan Han-sheng (潘翰聲), the Tree Party advocates the rights of trees, animals and underprivileged groups. Two Tree Party candidates have announced their intentions to stand in the elections — youth activist Lin Chia-yu (林佳諭) is to stand as a candidate in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) after her unsuccessful campaign for city councilor last year, while Pan is to stand in Taipei’s Wenshan District (文山).
Lee and both Tree Party candidates have joined a new political group, the Progressive Alliance (進步連線) — a coalition of eight legislative candidates organized by Chinese Culture University professor Yao Li-ming (姚立明), who was the director of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) mayoral campaign.
As many members of the Progressive Alliance were affiliated with Ko’s mayoral campaign last year, media commentators have branded the group “Ko’s Army.”
The group also includes former Ko campaign spokespersons Billy Pan (潘建志) and Lin Hsiao-chi (林筱淇), Taipei Clean Government Commission members Yang Shih-chiu (楊實秋) and Hsu Chin-huang (徐嶔煌) and Ko campaign consultant Liu Kun-li (劉坤鱧).
Additional reporting by CNA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
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
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