Human rights lawyer Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) yesterday stepped down as New Power Party (NPP) chairman to take responsibility for the departure of Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and an alleged conflict of interest case involving a former assistant of legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal.
Chiu, who assumed the chairmanship in March, said that for the past several months he had tried to help party members reach a consensus on how to safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty, keep the ruling party in check and secure the NPP’s autonomy.
“Unfortunately, Lim still left the party. It showed that my efforts were not enough to convince certain members or to ensure effective internal dialogue,” he said. “I deeply regret that and must take responsibility for it.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Although the party on Thursday finalized a decision to revoke Kawlo’s membership, which she is challenging, the incident has already tarnished the party’s image, he said.
“Since Kawlo was placed first on the party’s legislators-at-large list, the party must accept its responsibility,” he said, adding that the best way to do it was for him to shoulder the responsibility.
As a founding member of the NPP, he understands the importance of building a third force in Taiwan to counter the two major parties and solidify the nation’s democracy, he said.
“Unfortunately, due to my inadequacies, I was not able to lead the party to complete its mission,” he said.
Recent incidents within the NPP have led to doubts and disappointment among its supporters and members of the public, he said.
Hopefully, the new chairperson would find an effective way to resolve internal conflicts and help the party win in next year’s elections, he said.
Chiu added that he would continue to work for the NPP and, if necessary, stand for election in especially challenging constituencies.
He concluded the news conference by bowing and apologizing to supporters and the public, but did not answer media queries.
Asked when the party would elect a new chairperson and who would be the acting chairperson, NPP spokesman Lee Chao-li (李兆立) said the party’s decisionmaking committee would elect a new chairperson from its 15 members.
The 15 include caucus whip Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), Taipei City Councilor Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) and NPP Kaohsiung chapter head Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏).
NPP Legislator and former chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) is not a committee member.
While Chiu had named Kawlo as one of the reasons he decided to resign, Lee said the Amis legislator is still an NPP member.
Kawlo has appealed the party’s decision to revoke her membership through internal as well as external channels, he said, adding that whether she is to be removed from the party will depend on how the appeals turn out.
Chiu’s stated reasons for resigning “do not seem like reasons,” Hung said after Chiu’s announcement.
She added that she would try to understand the real reason and hope that Chiu would stay as chairman until the end of the general elections.
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
‘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 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
RSS