Tsai, 51, who is running to become chairwoman of the DPP in an election by party members slated for May 18, made the appeal during a "Dialogue between Civic Groups and Tsai Ing-wen" held at the National Taiwan University Alumni Hall yesterday morning..

After listening to the views of representatives of civic reform groups, Tsai stated that the DPP had "not forgotten" civic reform and social movement groups during the eight years of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration and cited her regular dialogue with feminist, environmental, labor and other groups when she served as vice premier under former DPP premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) in 2006.

"I feel the DPP made considerable effort in the past eight years to realize the values of civic society reform groups in our administrative values, but we did not do enough," the former vice premier acknowledged.

Saying that the DPP should now become "an opposition party with governing experience," Tsai promised that the DPP will "have more time for dialogue and will be able to review our experience in government and reexamine our methods so that the next time we will be prepared and will now how to implement our concepts."

Tsai stated that both Taiwan and the DPP "face very severe challenges" in the coming years under comprehensive rule by the former authoritarian Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) and under the intensifying international trend of globalization.

Tsai stated that the May 18 poll would be decisive for the party's future since it would "signify a choice for the DPP and Taiwan society between the past and the future" and "between being a purely conceptual party or a party of practice."

"We have to choose whether we will open our doors and embrace Taiwan's pluralistic society or keep our doors closed and remain locked in internal struggle," said the former vice premier.

"We also have a choice over whether to realize our concepts in a solid democratic manner and build a consensus in society for our values and a choice whether to link up closely with citizen groups and work to rebuild the trust of society in the DPP," Tsai stated.