TAIPEI, June 1 — Taiwan’s main opposition leader said today she hopes to “gain deeper trust” from the United States, before departing for the country where she is expected to be grilled over her party’s stance on China and defence spending.

Kuomintang chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s trip comes two months after her “peace” visit to Beijing, where she met Chinese President Xi Jinping—the first such meeting in a decade—and weeks after US President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi in the Chinese capital.

It also comes after the KMT recently thwarted the Taiwanese government’s plan to spend nearly $40 billion on critical weapons, including US arms and domestically produced drones.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the United States, Cheng said she hopes her party can play a key role in regional peace efforts and “gain deeper trust from the US”.

“Only the KMT is truly serious and responsible in taking on the most important role of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Cheng told a press conference.

Cheng has rocked Taiwanese politics since her unexpected rise to the top of the party last year and drawn criticism for being too pro-China.

The KMT has long advocated closer relations with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

But Cheng’s cross-strait rhetoric has gone beyond the comfort zone of many people in her own party and caused unease among foreign partners, including Washington. — AFP

 

British Columbia's Opposition Conservatives are set to announce a new leader Saturday, marking a pivotal moment for the party at the provincial legislature.

dannyhennesy posted a photo:

...I apologize for the messy room, but a battle agains time happens here every day in an attempt to make common matter in to gold...

Peace and Noise!

/ Mushroombrain the alchemist of art

SHAH ALAM, June 15 — Selangor’s financial position is still at a healthy level despite the global economic uncertainties following the supply crisis and fluctuations in world markets.

Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government did not see the need to take emergency measures because revenue collection remains on a positive track.

State revenue collection reached RM1.6 billion as of May against this year’s RM2.8 billion target, with the current collection trend showing positive development.

“We have not yet pressed the ‘panic button’, but are monitoring weekly and monthly developments,” he said at a press conference after launching the Selangor Resilience Strengthening Package Phase 1 at the Selangor State Secretary’s Office (SUK) Building here today.  

Amirudin added that Selangor also recorded a RM300 million surplus against total expenditure due to the state government’s savings.

Although this year’s financial position is not as strong as last year’s, the state government is confident of achieving the set revenue target, and it still has good reserve collection, he said.

“At the same time, various efforts are being made, including through the land disposal process, changes to the actual conditions of land for industrial purposes and the influx of new investments into Selangor,” he said.

Amirudin said the real impact of global economic uncertainty is expected to be seen in the next few months, and the state government is taking a proactive approach to reduce its impact on the people and the economic sector. — Bernama

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Mamiya Leaf Aptus ii 12 + Schneider lens.

SINGAPORE: A recent popular Facebook post described Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh as “the first man to hold the (Leader of the Opposition) title, the first to lose it, and one of the most consequential opposition figures in Singapore’s history.”

In his June 12 post, local content creator Alvin Huang traced Mr Singh’s rise from his studies to WP Secretary-General to Leader of the Opposition, as well as the more recent events that led to the position being taken away from him.

He wrote that Mr Singh “made opposition politics viable in Singapore in a way nobody has since JB Jeyaretnam and Low Thia Khiang, and the WP now holds 10 seats with the role of Leader of the Opposition established as a constitutional precedent because of what he built.”

Nevertheless, he added that Mr Singh’s conviction for having lied to a Parliamentary committee is “also real.” He added that his fellow MPs had declared him unfit for the role of Leader of the Opposition.

Commenters on the post praised Mr Huang, who also writes about leaders and politicians from the ruling People’s Action Party on his Facebook page, for the fairness with which he presented the WP chief.

Interestingly, almost all the commenters expressed support for Mr Singh, saying that despite his conviction, they continue to admire him.

“Thank you for being unbiased and neutral in the write-up. Thank you for providing airtime and writing a summary of this man, Pritam. This is what we need, regardless of any party colours, objective coverage. What we (readers) make of it is up to individual discretion,” an FB user wrote.

“Well said. Unbiased. But he is not ruthless. He will become better. Standing by Pritam,” another agreed.

“I believe this write-up does justice to Pritam Singh. In my interactions with him, I’m in a ward in his constituency, I’ve found him to be sincere and genuine… If only there were more such leaders representing and leading Singapore,” a netizen chimed in.

“Standing by Pritam no matter how some people try to cast their narratives,” added another.

“Pritam will always have my support,” a commenter agreed.

“I am past 75 years and have voted and seen many elections. Yes, the 1st and 2nd generation of PAP rule has brought Singapore the foundation to grow and prosper… But over the years, we have also seen the worries and dangers of absolute power in Parliament. WP has provided much-wanted opposition voices in Parliament… Despite the ruling, I will give Pritam Singh a second chance. He deserves it,” a commenter wrote. 

Some comments have been edited for brevity. /TISG

Read also: Singaporeans push back against PPP chief Goh Meng Seng’s condemnation of Pritam Singh

This article (‘Standing by Pritam’: Singaporeans rally behind WP chief after viral post on his political legacy) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.