TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said Friday (May 24) that former Premier William Lai has been “unfairly treated” amid controversies surrounding how the primary of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is to be conducted.
Lai, a veteran politician who announced his bid for the DPP presidential candidacy in March, has been embroiled in a bitter spat with incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is seeking re-election in the 2020 elections.
In a comment on the turmoil about the DPP’s primary formula, Han Kuo-yu, a presidential hopeful of the Kuomintang (KMT), noted that Lai is a prudent and diligent person, but has been “wronged” by his party, reports UDN.
He added that despite their different positions in the political spectrum, he felt sorry for Lai and lambasted the DPP for losing the trust of the people, the report said.
After the DPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting on Wednesday (May 22) failed to reach an agreement on the primary mechanism, Lai proposed on the same day that he would give up the bid for party nomination under several circumstances, including when he loses in a public survey against Han, or when Tsai wins in the polls against Han.
The CEC is to continue its discussions on the subject next Wednesday (May 29).