TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Legislator Wang Shi-chien (王世堅) said Wednesday he believes the party’s caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) will eventually resign from his position.
Ker is facing growing calls to step down following the failure of the party-backed recall campaign against KMT lawmakers, per Tai Sounds. He is now the only senior caucus official not to have resigned.
Wang, a longtime critic of the recall effort, argued that Ker should take political responsibility for his role in the campaign. He said Ker’s personality and political instincts would eventually lead him to recognize the public's rejection of the recall and resign.
Wang also referenced former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who resigned as DPP chair on three occasions following the party’s poor performance in local elections.
When asked whether President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) should also bear responsibility, Wang declined to give a direct answer. He said Lai likely supported the civil groups behind the recall campaign only to ensure they did not “feel lonely.”
Ker confirmed on Saturday that Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) visited him following a DPP factional meeting reportedly aimed at gathering support to force him out, per ETtoday. Ker said there is no conflict between him and Lai, and claimed Pan repeatedly apologized during their meeting.
In recent days, internal efforts to remove Ker appear to have stalled. Political commentator Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚) noted a shift in Ker’s approach, highlighting more constructive interactions with TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), a departure from his earlier combative tone, per NOWnews.
Huang argued that Ker's ability to hold dialogue with the opposition weakens the case for his removal.
Voices within the pro-DPP camp have also questioned the push to unseat Ker. Chen Sung-shan (陳淞山), former director of former President Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) office, said if Lai wants to restore public trust, he should first resign as party chair.
He added that Lai should also direct Ker to step down, ask Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) to resign, and distance the party from United Microelectronics Corporation founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠), per Formosa.
Chen argued that public opinion polls consistently opposed the recall campaign, suggesting many voters saw it as a DPP power grab. He said comments by Tsao and Shen about “wiping out” KMT seats alienated centrist voters who want a strong opposition to keep the ruling party in check.
Chen added that Ker deserved criticism for what he viewed as an unconvincing attempt to link the KMT’s obstructionist behavior in the legislature to being a proxy for China. However, he noted that the DPP’s decision to center the recall campaign on anti-China messaging only escalated after Lai’s unity speech.
