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TPP's Ko kicks off presidential run, says will extend goodwill to China

ROC Central News Agency

05/20/2023 02:47 PM

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan People's Party (TPP) founder and Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) vowed to end political wrangling and extend goodwill to China, as he officially launched his 2024 presidential candidacy in Taipei Saturday.

Ko announced the launch at an outdoor news conference in New Taipei's Tamsui District attended by hundreds of supporters, who stayed until the end of the event despite the heavy rain.

Ko said he was determined to run because he believed that the country should be united, not divided, that it should be a facilitator of dialogue, not a "chess piece" between the United States and China, that it should be Ilha Formosa, a beautiful island, rather than "the most dangerous place on Earth" as described by the Economist.

The former Taipei mayor dedicated the majority of his speech to slamming the policies of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which he said have been unable to address Taiwan's shortages of energy, water, labor, land and professionals, which had plunged young Taiwanese into despondency.

He panned the lack of fiscal discipline in budgeting funds for the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and the special budget for bailing out businesses and individuals whose finances were impacted by COVID-19 as well as what he called a lack of concrete actions in pushing for judicial reform and the establishment of an "e-government."

The DPP administration seemed to be powerless when it came to tackling Taiwan's low birth rate and aging population, Ko said.

The DPP government has also not put forward any plans to cushion the impact of its policy goal to transform Taiwan into a carbon-neutral country by 2050, Ko added.

On cross-Taiwan Strait policies, Ko said that he would work to restore communication channels between Taiwan and China on the condition that Taiwan's free and democratic political system and way of life are maintained.

Ko said he would strive to extend goodwill toward China to reduce the risk of war and bring about peace in the Taiwan Strait on the condition that this can be achieved with parity and dignity.

He said that he would see to it that Taiwan's armed forces will be well trained and capable of fighting and that it will not fear or court war.

He noted that an autonomous Taiwan and maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait will be crucial to efforts to ensure prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He vowed to unite Taiwan's major political parties and end the long-standing bickering that has caused society to "stall" by forming a coalition government and inviting political leaders to attend a conference on pressing national affairs, so that consensus could be formed on how to move Taiwan forward.

If elected, Ko said, he would abide by Article 4-3 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China and make oral reports at the Legislative Yuan, thereby ending the "anomaly" that has seen the president wielding great power without having to assume responsibility for his or her administration.

He said that Taiwan, faced with the aforementioned challenges, is at the crossroads of destiny and asked people to place their faith in him as he sets out on the quest to build a "new Taiwan."

Asked by reporters whether he will seek his running mate by interviewing members of the public or by tapping Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊), one of his deputy mayors in his second mayoral term, Ko said that he will tap into the citizenry, of which Huang is also a member.

He said he will evaluate all prospective candidates to pick the best one to be his running mate.

Asked whether the absence of incumbent TPP's legislators-at-large on the party's roster for legislator-at-large nominees meant that they will campaign for legislative seats this time around, Ko said the roster of the TPP's legislator-at-large nominees for the legislative election to be held concurrently with the presidential election will not be finalized until June 1.

He called on the public to recommend fitting legislator-at-large candidates and encouraged people who fit the bill to recommend themselves.

As for publicly elected legislators, Ko said the TPP will continue to seek candidates that have the potential to defeat DPP or Kuomintang contenders.

(By Sean Lin)

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