dpp newsletter april2012

7/31/2019 DPP Newsletter April2012

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APRIL 2012

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DPP wins Lugang Township mayoral by-elections

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

On April 28th, the DPP won 71% of the vote in

the mayoral by-election in Lugang Township in

Changhua County. The DPP representative in the

by-election, Mr. Huang Chen-yen, gained a re-

sounding victory after the people of Lugang

County used their votes to express the current dis-

satisfaction with the KMT Administration.

DPP Acting Chair Chen Chu said that this by-

election represented a victory for the people of

Lugang Township as well as a vote of no-confidence to President Ma Ying-jeou. She said

that since the presidential election in January, the

Ma Administration has made a series of political

mistakes and they have also issued many failed

policies.

She cited the example of the controversial

opening of importation for meat containing racto-

pamine, the cover-up of bird flu incidents, the is-

suance of one country two areas and the sudden

hikes in oil and electricity prices as examples.

The people of Lugang Township used the mostdirect form of action to express the current senti-


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ments of the people in Taiwan, said Acting Chair

Chen Chu.

They also gave the strongest warning to the

current government, and we appeal to the Ma

Administration to see and listen to the peoplesdispleasure.

Acting Chair Chen noted that the Lugang

Township by-election victory was gained with

limited resources by the DPP, but with a clear vi-

sion, a willingness to fight and show sincerity, the

DPP was able to garner the publics identification

and support.

She also gave her deepest gratitude to the peo-

ple of Lugang Township for their support of the

DPP, and she congratulated Mr. Huang, wishinghim well in his new responsibility as township

mayor.

The President Ma Ying-jeou Administration re-

leased its first human rights report since taking

over the presidency four years ago. In response

to the contents of the report, DPP Spokesperson

Lin Chun-hsien held a press conference on April

20 to cite examples showing that Taiwans hu-

man rights have in fact regressed.

Spokesperson Lin said that since the admini-

stration of President Ma has taken over the

presidency, there has been a human rights re-

gression in Taiwan. He said that during the DPP

administration, press freedom improved from

worlds 35th to 32nd. Every year after the 2008

transfer of power, press freedom in Taiwan fell

from the ranking of 43rd to 48th, he said.

The fall in press freedom ranking for Taiwan

should have already raised a red flag for Presi-dent Mas Administration, however, no concrete

actions has been taken to tackle this problem. In

fact, press freedom has become even more re-

strained. If the NCC approves the media buyout

of China Network Service (CNS), press freedom

will take a even further step back because it

would create a conglomeration of media serv-

ices and limit the viewing choices for the public.

In regards to freedom of expression, Spokes-

person Lin said that the Taiwanese public hasmade several attempts to express their dissatis-

faction to the government. More specifically, the

recent rise in gas and electricity prices. How-

ever, the government has imposed more limits

on permits to hold rallies such as the 519 rally

planned by the DPP, where the government has

placed greater boundaries over the protest zones

compared to the inauguration four years ago.

In President Ma Administrations first human

rights report, he also mentioned the concern for

human rights in China. Spokesperson Lin said

that it was very ironic to include human rights

in China because President Ma and his team has

not once mentioned the issue of human rights in

any cross strait negotiation. Also not once since

taking over the presidency, Spokesperson Lin

said, has President Ma met with China human

rights dissidents, such as Wang Dan, who re-sides in Taiwan.

President Ma Administrations first human

rights report lacks the substance it needs to give

an accurate picture of the human rights situation

in Taiwan. There has been no improvement of

judicial reform, and no specific actions men-

tioned by the government to tackle the im-

provement of human rights. President Ma Ad-

ministrations human rights report distorts the

real facts and shows no concrete actions by thegovernment for the future.

President Ma Administrations first humanrights report distorts real facts, shows noconcrete actions


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DPP Central Standing Committee issues statement re-garding media buyout

The DPP continues to persist on the belief of free-

dom of expression for the Taiwanese people. Re-sponding to the recent review by the National

Communications Commission (NCC) over the

possible acquisition of China Network Service

(CNS) by the Want Want China Times Group, the

DPP opposes any conglomeration of media serv-

ices that would limit freedom of expression in

Taiwan.

The NT$76 billion merger would affect the in-

terests of 1.18 million households, which accounts

for almost a quarter of TV households in Taiwan.

If the NCC rushes through the review of the acqui-

sition, it would cause serious issues of media mo-

nopoly and pose a threat to Taiwans freedom of

speech as well as the viewing quality of television.

For this reason, the DPP strongly urges the

NCC to uphold its professional conscience and

dismiss the applications of this merger.

The DPP held a Central Standing Committee on

April 25th to discuss the issue of the possible buy-

out by the Want Want China Times Group of the

media group China Network System (CNS).

The following are the DPP standpoints regarding

this issue:

In regards to the massive group Want Want China

Times Groups desire to buy CNS, the DPP be-

lieves that once the National Communications

Commission (NCC) approves this proposal, there

will be a monopoly of media services, and this

would seriously affect freedom of expression in

Taiwan.

The DPP wishes to express its solemn condemna-

tion to the proposal, at the same time making an

appeal to the administration of President Ma Ying-

jeou to: (1) not escape responsibility, (2) not sit

back and watch conglomerates take possession of

media resources and (3) stop hindering the devel-opment of civic society.

The DPP strongly emphasizes that President

Ma should return the media to the people.The media not only provides entertainment and

information, but it also more vigorously shapes the

publics views to various issues.

Additionally, the media has the power to exer-

cise moderate supervision over political affairs,

but alternatively, the media may also be used for

political manipulation and improper interests.

The DPP and the DPP Legislative Caucus have

already held meetings and issued a report regard-

ing this issue, including passing a resolution op-

posing the monopoly of media services and im-

proper influencing, and appealing the NCC to ex-

ercise it strictest supervision.

The DPP will continue to pay attention to this

issue, persisting in siding with the Taiwanese peo-

ple and making appeals to President Ma.

The Ma Administration must do its utmost to

protect the peoples interest and ensure freedom of

expression. They must also allow for the media to

play its role as the fourth power, preventing for the

monopoly of media services and allowing the pub-

lic to have more dignified choices in public infor-

mation.


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DPP issues statement congratulating Burmas NLD,Aung San Suu Kyi for success in recent elections

The DPP issued a statement congratulating theNational League for Democracy (NLD) and No-

bel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for their recent

success in the Burmese by-elections of April 1st.

The DPP and NLD are both members of the

Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

(CALD) and Liberal International (LI), where

both have held close exchanges on democracy,

human rights and political party organization.

Just last year, a DPP delegation was able to pay a

visit to the NLD Party Headquarters in Rangoon,Burma. The DPP delegation also was able to visit

Aung San Suu Kyi at her residence.

Aung San Suu Kyi has championed the values

of liberty, human rights and democracy for her

country of Burma, values shared by the DPP.

For the recently by-elections held in Burma,the DPP expresses its admiration for Aung San

Suu Kyi and congratulates the NLD for their hard

efforts carried out throughout these elections.

The DPP hopes that these by-elections is not

just an improvement of democracy for Burma,

but also for the rest of Asia. The DPP hopes that

in the future, other countries in Asia may also

follow this example in allowing the people to ex-

ercise democratic participation.

The DPP will continue maintaining a closecontact with Aung San Suu Kyi through its alli-

ance with the NLD, hoping to establish deeper

channels of communication and hold close ex-

changes regarding the issues of democracy, hu-

man rights and freedom.


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DPP delegation visits Japan to holdexchange, understand reconstructionpolicies

A delegation of DPP senior officials departed to Japan on

April 22nd, Earth Day, to conduct exchanges with officials from

Japanese political parties and to learn about the aftermath recon-

struction of the areas hit by Japans tsunami disaster last year.

Additionally, the DPP delegation also paid visits to activists in-

volved in Japans nuclear-free movement.

Head of the delegation, DPP Spokesperson Lin You-chang

said that the purpose for this times visit to Japan includes con-

ducting political party-to-party exchanges and to understandeach others political and foreign policies. He reported that the

DPP delegation paid visits to council and parliamentary mem-

bers from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic

Party of Japan, among others. He said that the delegation was

able to gain deeper understanding of issues such as party policy,

election campaigning and political participation.

DPP Spokesperson Lin further said that the DPP has devel-

oped a basic goal of achieving a nuclear-free environment for

Taiwan. He also mentioned that there has been a good relation-

ship between the DPP and various political organizations in Ja-pan, and the DPP hopes to continue promoting these exchanges

in the future.

DEMOCRACY &

PROGRESS

PUBLISHED BY:

Department of InternationalAffairs DemocraticProgressive Party

9F, No. 30, Pei-Ping EastRoad, Taipei, Taiwan

Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306

Fax: 886-2-2393-0342

Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.dpp.org.tw
http://www.dpp.org.tw/http://www.dpp.org.tw/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

dpp newsletter april2012

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