TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The DPP’s Miaoli branch suspended Councilor Chen Kuang-hsuan (陳光軒) on Friday for drunk driving, a decision Chen has challenged.
The DPP Miaoli County Committee said Chen would ordinarily be expelled from the party due to its zero-tolerance policy on drunk driving, per CNA. However, it said that because of his significant contributions to the DPP and Miaoli’s local democracy, he was suspended for three years instead.
The committee said Chen had previously received a suspended sentence for drunk driving. It said the decision to suspend him should serve as a warning to other public officials within the DPP.
After the DPP announced the suspension, Chen posted an apology on Facebook. He described the punishment as “the most severe social condemnation” and said he would reflect on his actions again.
Chen's statement on Facebook.
However, multiple outlets reported that Chen said he would complain to the DPP’s Central Committee and request an explanation for the suspension. He said he hoped to run again for public office, but it was unclear if this would be possible by the next local elections.
“As for the incident more than 10 years ago, I had not entered politics then and made a mistake while taking chances,” Chen wrote in an apparent reference to the DPP’s statement about the past offense. “I am still very sorry for making this mistake unrelated to my official duties!” he said.
In August last year, police discovered Chen’s alcohol level exceeded the legal limit after he rear-ended a car in Miaoli’s Toufen on a weekday at around 8 a.m. A court sentenced him to four months in prison for the act which was commuted to a fine of NT$1,000 (US$30.60) for each day of the sentence.
Shortly after the rear-ending, Chen wrote on Facebook that it occurred because he was distracted by an incoming phone call. He said the alcohol in his system exceeded the legal limit because he had consumed two cocktails the night before.
Chen served as a councilor for Miaoli for three terms before the suspension. He was reportedly a protege of DPP co-founder and Taiwan’s former representative to Japan, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).