Vice President Lai Ching-te (???) on Saturday said he would re-establish the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) reputation for clean and diligent governance if elected party chairman.

Lai, currently on a nationwide campaign tour for the DPP chairperson by-election scheduled for Jan. 15, 2023, made the remarks at a policy platform presentation in Kaohsiung’s Sinsing District.

For any DPP member to win popular support, they would have to humbly accept failure in the Nov. 26 local elections, learn their lessons from that failure, and put forward solutions, he said.

If elected, Lai said that he would give President Tsai Ing-wen (???) his unstinting support to promote unity within the party, and work with members in the DPP as well as the public to re-establish the party’s reputation as being “clean, diligent and nation-loving.”

Lai added he would engage in more exchanges with members of younger generations to ensure their opinions are reflected by the DPP, calling on party members to defend the nation’s democratic system and ensure its peaceful development.

Several DPP politicians in attendance also provided suggestions on how to win back the public’s support.

DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (???) said problems around Taiwan’s declining birth rate, the high house price-to-income ratio, and low average salaries had worsened since the ruling party entered office.

DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (???) said that the party should not lose sight of its founding values and should heed people’s reactions to government policy.

DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (???) said if supporters felt they had to criticize the DPP, he hoped they would not turn their backs on the party.

DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (???) said that party members ignored the DPP’s shortcomings and touted its achievements during elections, proof that it had been arrogant.

Other DPP members in attendance called on Tsai’s administration to step up efforts to tackle recent high-profile social issues, such as fraud threatening people’s security, organized crime’s alleged influence on politics, and vote-buying.

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (???) said that the DPP could not regroup without introspection, without which it would have no future.

It is clear that Lai, the sole DPP member running for the party chairmanship, intends to shoulder the great responsibility to lead the party in making a comeback, Chen said, calling on party members to come out to vote on Jan. 15.

Source: Focus Taiwan cooperation News Channel