Former People First Party (PFP) legislators and supporters yesterday presented a signature drive to show their support for PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), urging him to join the presidential election.
Led by former PFP legislators Kao Chi-ming (高資敏) and Yang Fu-mei (楊富美), the group said a signature drive to support Soong’s presidential bid has collected 1185,760 signatures, and Soong should respond to the passion of his supporters by running against President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Kao criticized both the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination of Ma, which was confirmed by clapping from central committee members, and the DPP’s nomination of Tsai via polls as inappropriate, and said voters should have more choices in the presidential election.
“The signature drive showed the passion of Mr Soong’s supporters, and we are hoping that Mr Soong can join the presidential election and lead us to a better future,” he said.
Calls for Soong to join the presidential election have emerged after the PFP chairman indicated that he might run for president or join the legislative election to boost the PFP’s morale in the upcoming elections.
The PFP is expected to win at least 10 at-large and constituency legislative seats, and is aiming to start a “Quiet Revolution” ending bipartisan confrontation in the legislature.
On the TVBS (2100全民開講), on Friday evening, PFP legislative candidate Chen Cheng-sheng (陳振盛) said Soong has decided on his running mate. However, he did not elaborate.
Despite emerging support for Soong, however, no PFP officials or legislative candidates, including Chen and former PFP legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), appeared at the event yesterday.
At a separate setting yesterday, PFP spokesman Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) said the PFP was thankful for the support, but said Soong has yet to finalize his decision on whether to join the presidential election.
New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明), who earlier this week criticized Soong’s presidential bid, saying it damaged pan-blue unity, said Kao should reveal all the names on the signature drive to prove its authenticity.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final