Following the Formosa Alliance’s transition into a political party last week, people close to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) are working to establish another pro-Taiwanese independence party.
Founding members of the “One Side, One Country Action Party” yesterday said that they have applied to the Ministry of the Interior to register as a political party, adding that they expect the party to be officially established next month.
The party’s objective is to nominate candidates for the legislative election on Jan. 11 next year to provide checks and balances at the legislature, the members said.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) performance with regards to pushing a constitutional reform to rectify the nation’s official title has been disappointing and the party hopes to send “pro-Taiwan” candidates to the Legislative Yuan, they said.
They have asked former premier Yu Shyi-kun to be the party’s chairman and are awaiting his reply, the members said.
Chen on Facebook on Thursday said that he expects the party to be officially established next month “if the ruling party does not thwart or obstruct” the effort.
Chen cited two reasons for the party’s establishment: “First, the voice that says Taiwan and China are two separate countries cannot be silenced at the legislature, as it is a path that the nation should pursue,” he said.
Second, checks and balances are crucial for a democracy, and they can only be achieved by an opposition party, he said, giving an alleged smuggling attempt by China Airlines and National Security Bureau officials as an example of a lack of checks and balances.
Chen was sentenced to a 20-year jail term for corruption, but was granted medical parole in January 2015 after being diagnosed with illnesses including sleep apnea, suspected Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis.
He did not participate in the new party’s establishment, but is viewed as its “spiritual leader,” a source from the nascent party said.
Chen initially opposed the idea of forming a pro-independence party, but now welcomes it, sources said.
Asked if the party would support President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) re-election bid, the sources said it would, as the DPP is a “local administration,” but added that if some supporters are reluctant to vote for the DPP again, that would be totally understandable.
The new party is setting its sights on the legislative — rather than the presidential — election, the sources said.
However, Chen’s son, DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), is reserved about the party’s establishment, saying the move might be “untimely.”
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
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