TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should not forget its founding principles like China forgot the ideals of the May Fourth Student Movement, former Premier William Lai (賴清德) warned Saturday (May 4).
In the competition for the DPP’s nomination for its presidential candidate in the January 11, 2020 election, Lai has been insisting on finishing the existing primary process, though the party leadership continues to mediate between him and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
On Facebook Saturday, the 100th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement, Lai slammed China for neglecting to mention the spirit of “science and democracy” at the core of the event. Beijing only used science and technology as a means of controlling and repressing minorities and to prepare the same against Taiwan.
The former premier also drew parallels with the current political situation on the island, saying that strengthening Taiwan’s democracy was the only way forward, emphasizing the core values of the DPP, independence and self-rule.
In the race for the presidential nomination, recent differences have emerged about whether or not cellphone users could be included in the opinion polls which will determine the outcome.
Lai has opposed the move, calling it a “recipe for chaos” as people owning more than one phone could easily vote twice.
President Tsai on Saturday said she would respect any DPP decision on the matter, while adding that out of 18 million eligible voters, 5 million only had a cellphone and no landline, so their opinion should also be taken into account, the Central News Agency reported.
The DPP has said it will announce a decision about the candidate selection process after May 22.
