Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday admitted to leaking a private text conversation between DPP lawmakers about draft legislation on same-sex marriage, with party members downplaying the incident and describing the leak as a well-intentioned blunder.
Taipei City Councilor Chung Hsiao-ping (鍾小平) on Monday released a set of screen grabs from a private group chat by the DPP legislative caucus on the messaging application, Line, revealing DPP legislators discussions about the possible repercussions of the legislation.
DPP legislators Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Julian Kuo (郭正亮) had been debating the effect of the same-sex marriage legislation on the party’s electoral performance, with Chung criticizing the DPP for seeking political gain by pushing the legislation.
Tuan, who withdrew from the group chat immediately after the conversation was exposed, was criticized for currying favor with young voters with the legislation after Chung wrote that the DPP’s approval ratings among young voters would be “moved to the intensive care unit” in less than six months and the party would lose the support of the younger generation to the New Power Party if it does not handle the same-sex marriage issue properly.
Lo yesterday admitted to leaking the private conversation to a friend, a priest who has questioned the DPP’s stance on same-sex marriage.
In an apology sent to the DPP caucus chat group, Lo said he sent the screen shots of the conversation to the friend in a bid to communicate with him about DPP policy, but that the screen shots later went viral.
He apologized for the leak and its consequences, and quit the chat group to rebuild trust among caucus members.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said Lo’s attempt to get the party’s policy across was out of good intentions and his apology was sincere, so Lo had earned the forgiveness of all of the DPP’s legislators.
Saying that she forgave Lo immediately after he owned up to the leak, Kuan added that caucus members trust each other.
“The event was caused by negligence and there is no factor that could ruin the trust between us,” Kuan said.
The incident was a “blessing in disguise,” as Internet users had supported the party for its in-depth discussion of social issues, she said.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said the incident showed that the party is democratic and progressive, as caucus members engaged in a rational debate about a key issue to come up with a viable solution.
“The DPP does not excuse itself from the controversial issue of marriage equality, but instead takes the initiative to lead the legislation,” she said.
Chung and former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), who also accused Tuan of manipulating the same-sex marriage issue, are seeking political gain by voicing criticism of the DPP over the incident, as both are competing for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination for the Taipei mayoral election next year, Wu said.
‘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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS