Ex-DPP chair Hsu returns to the party

Members of the DPP’s Taipei City Committee approved unanimously Hsu’s return to the party along with the applications from nine other former members.

Hsu said he plans to ask two former party chiefs, Shih Ming-teh and Lin Yi-hsiung, to rejoin the DPP so that they may work together to reinvigorate the opposition party, demoralized earlier by repeated election defeats in recent years.

Both Shih and Lin quit the party voluntarily years ago.

Tsai Ing-wen, incumbent DPP chairwoman, expressed a warm welcome to Hsu upon his return to the DPP, saying Hsu’s willingness to rejoin the party signaled strengthened solidarity among the opposition camp. She made the remarks after holding a meeting to stage a large-scale protest in Taipei against President Ma Ying-jeou on Aug. 30 to mark Ma’s 100th day in office.

Among other things, the DPP has escalated an attack on Ma’s alleged unilateral overtures to China, such as easing restrictions on investments and opening direct weekend charter flights by sacrificing the interests of Taiwan. Hsu, 67, was among the crop of young political stars groomed by the Kuomintang decades earlier.

He earned a master’s degree in political science at the National Chengchi University and was sent to Britain for advanced study.

He started his political career as a member of the Taiwan Provincial Assembly 1973-77, then was elected Taoyuan County magistrate.

Hsu later chose a different path to become one of the founders of the DPP and served twice as party chairman, from 1991-93 and 1996-98. He was appointed senior adviser to the president by President Chen Shui-bian after the DPP came to power in 2000.

Hsu later quit the party and joined the anti-corruption campaign against President Chen and his scandal-riddled administration led by ex-DPP Chairman Shih Ming-teh in 2006.

There was speculation that Hsu might rekindle his interest in running for public office again.

One possible election campaign is to retake the seat of Taoyuan County chief from the KMT next year, according to sources.

A DPP official said Hsu can be an outstanding and shrewd candidate to help the party pick up certain seats.

The party might draft him to run for a specific office if no other effective candidate from the party set their sights on the same position, he added.

The DPP’s Taipei chapter also approved the application for membership from nine other ex-members and 68 newly recruited members.

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