Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) yesterday threw his support behind Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui’s (吳秉叡) bid for New Taipei City mayor in next year’s local elections.
“Among many qualified candidates for New Taipei City mayor, Wu is the most suitable. I wish him good luck in the [DPP] primary election,” Lai said.
“Wu has dedicated himself to the development of New Taipei City for more than 20 years and is committed to making the city prosper,” Lai said, adding that Wu is a leader of the DPP caucus with an outstanding legislative performance.
Lai said he would dedicate his energy toward developing Tainan at a time when major construction projects are under way, such as an underground railway project and the reconstruction of the Weiguan Jinlong complex, which collapsed during a major earthquake last year.
A possible bid by Lai in next year’s mayoral elections came to the public’s attention after former DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a dinner party on Sunday pledged his support for Wu’s bid to run for New Taipei City mayor on the condition that Lai does not intend to run.
“If Lai wants to join the mayoral election in his hometown of New Taipei City, we are willing to support him. I am willing to be his campaign director. If Lai does not join the election, I think Wu is the most suitable candidate,” Su said.
Wu has served New Taipei City residents for 20 years, including six years as a confidential secretary at the former Taipei County government, making him the most qualified candidate for mayor, Su said.
The development of New Taipei City has fallen behind the other five special municipalities and the next mayor should have the passion and ability to lead the city, the former Taipei County commissioner said.
Wu and DPP legislators Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) and Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) are likely to compete for the DPP’s nomination to run for New Taipei City mayor, while former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) was also named as a possible candidate.
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
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
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