Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-04
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

A former Institute for Information Industry (III) vice president slammed the

Source of photo: Wang Ko-yang’s Facebook)

organization leaders for lacking enthusiasm to lead Taiwan’s software industry into the realm of international competitiveness. The III is a semi-official nonprofit organization founded in 1979 in Taipei, responsible for promoting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) research and business development.

Recently the III has had troubled times. Heavyweight critics have heaped criticism on the III. The most recent one was on December 29, when I-Mei Foods General Manager Luis Ko pointed the finger at the III in front of Taiwan’s presidential front-runner, Tsai Ing-wen, saying if the III is again tasked by the new government to make strategies and policies for Taiwan’s information and software industry, the industry will not have a future.

On December 31, III Executive Vice President Wang Ko-yang resigned from office, which was confirmed by the organization’s public relations department.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/04
By: Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 4 (CNA) The ruling Kuomintang’s presidential candidate Eric Chu

KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (left) campaign with wife in Taipei Dec. 31.

(朱立倫) has come within 8 percentage points of his main rival, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party, for the first time, according to latest public opinion poll published by the KMT Monday.

With 12 days to go before the Jan. 16 election, Chu’s approval rating has climbed to 31.2 percent after the second and final presidential debate on Jan. 2, while Tsai is leading with 39.2 percent, the KMT said in a news release.

James Soong (宋楚瑜) of the People First Party, is trailing with a 10.7 percent approval rating, the KMT said, adding that 18.9 percent of voters have not disclosed how they will vote.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: January 4, 2016

The three ROC presidential candidates Eric Chu, James Soong and Tsai

From left, Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu, People First Party Chairman James Soong and Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen pose for a photo before presidential debate in Taipei. (Courtesy of Sanlih Entertainment Television)

Ing-wen fleshed out key policies in response to questions from Taiwan civic groups in their second and final televised debate Jan. 2 in Taipei City.

Addressing national development issues ranging from economy, finance, judiciary and labor to technology, the trio was bullish on upgrading the country’s Internet infrastructure, maintaining the independence of the ROC Central Bank and implementing judicial reform.

Chu of the ruling Kuomintang proposed introducing court assessors into the nation’s legal system, a view shared by his peers. “It is the president’s duty to uphold justice and promote judicial reform,” he said. “By implementing this mechanism of impartial assessment, we can minimize the chance of questionable rulings.”

The KMT chairman also plans to better protect the rights of workers by seeking amendments to existing labor laws. “We will address this issue by strengthening the enforcement of labor standards while boosting the overall salary structure in Taiwan,” he said.     [FULL  STORY]

EMERGING IDEA:Increasing wages to boost growth is a new concept in academia, which has benefited millions in the US, Eric Chu’s spokesperson said

Taipei Times
Daste:  Jan 04, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday hit back at Democratic

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu, center, KMT legislative candidates Lin Wei-chou, center right, and Cheng Cheng-chien, center left, gesture at the crowd at a rally in Hsinchu County yesterday. Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times

Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who had, during Saturday’s televised debate, criticized KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) proposal to boost economic growth by promoting pay raises, saying that she was “telling bare-faced lies.”

“In 2014, seven Nobel Prize winners urged US President Barack Obama to implement wage increases to drive economic growth. Last year, more than 600 economists also called on the US government to impose a minimum wage hike for the same reason,” Chu’s campaign spokesman Lee Cheng-hao (李正皓) told a press conference in Taipei.

Lee said such a plan was a relatively new concept in academia and has been welcomed in the US, where more than 7 million workers have benefited from its application.     [FULL  STORY]

JUDICIAL BIAS:The head of a DPP task force said he suspects the judiciary of giving KMT-affiliated suspects favorable treatment after several cases of unexplained leniency

Taipei Times
Date: , Jan 04, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused the Chinese

From left, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator-at-large candidate Wellington Koo, DPP Legislator Lee Ying-yuan and DPP Kaohsiung City Councilor Lien Li-jen hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday accusing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of vote-buying. Photo: CNA

Nationalist Party (KMT) of involvement in nationwide vote-buying activities for the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, warning that it might file lawsuits after the elections.

“Election day is only 13 days away, and people around the nation have been tipping off [the DPP] about vote-buying activities, especially in Chiayi County, where vote-buying is committed almost publicly,” DPP spokesperson Yang Chia-liang (楊家俍) told a news conference at the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei.

“KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) has repeatedly claimed that he will reform the KMT, but not only has the party assets issue not been resolved, vote-buying is still taking place,” Yang said.     [FULL  STORY]