Next month’s referendums would determine the direction of Taiwan’s development, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday at its National Congress.
As the Dec. 18 poll approaches, the party convened its congress to affirm its opposition to all four referendum questions and urge the public to “lend a hand” in stabilizing the nation’s direction.
On the ballot are to be proposals calling for a ban on the importation of pork containing the leanness-enhancing additive ractopamine, the activation of the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the relocation of a planned liquefied natural gas terminal from Datan Borough (大潭) in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) and for referendums to be held alongside elections.
Photo: CNA
Protecting the nation’s sovereignty and safeguarding freedom and democracy have always been the party’s guiding values, which it has firmly upheld since taking office in 2016, the DPP said.
Even when challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and diplomatic interference, the government has remained steadfast in its beliefs and slowly, but surely strengthened the nation, it said.
“As the world recognizes Taiwan, we must strive to align ourselves with the world” by joining regional trade groups, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the DPP added.
In her capacity as DPP chairperson, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the theme of this year’s congress, “Stable Governance, Powerful Taiwan,” is precisely the mission bestowed on the party at this juncture.
The DPP turned 35 this year, an age full of passion, but with enough experience to take on large responsibilities, she said.
As people do not owe the DPP anything, the party must do its best to prove it is worthy of their trust and confidence, she added.
The congress also approved a proposal by the party’s Central Executive Committee to forgo primaries for next year’s local elections, except for cities or counties that have been governed continuously by DPP incumbents for two terms.
According to the rule, which is to apply only to next year’s local elections, Tsai is to nominate mayoral candidates for the six special municipalities, while the committee is to vote on their confirmation.
Incumbent DPP mayors and county commissioners who seek re-election must also be approved by Tsai and confirmed by the committee.
Party hopefuls making a bid to unseat a non-DPP mayor or commissioner would be nominated by Tsai and determined in closed-door negotiations, it said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS