Wei Yao-chien

In this Chinese name, the family name is Wei (魏).
Wei Yao-chien
MLY
魏耀乾
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 1990 – 31 January 1996
ConstituencyTainan
Personal details
Born (1950-02-05) 5 February 1950 (age 74)
Jiali, Tainan County, Taiwan
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Home Party
Democratic Progressive Party
EducationSun Yat-Sen Medical College (BS)
National Taiwan University (MA)
University of Essex (MA)
Yale University (MPP)
Harvard University
Professiondentist

Wei Yao-chien (Chinese: 魏耀乾; pinyin: Wèi Yàoqián; Wade–Giles: Wei4 Yao4-chʻien2; born 5 February 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and dentist.

Early life and education

Wei was born on 5 February 1950 in Tainan to a conservative family with strong ties to the Kuomintang.[1][2] After attending high school in Kaohsiung, he graduated from the Department of Dentistry of Sun Yat-Sen Medical College (now Sun Yat-sen University) in Guangzhou, China, and earned a master's degree in political science from National Taiwan University.[2]

Wei then went to England to be educated at the University of Essex, where he earned a master's degree in government, and then earned another master's degree from Yale University in the United States.[1][2] He also studied government at Harvard University, was a visiting researcher in environmental psychology at San Diego State University, and was a special researcher at the School of International Dispute Settlement (ISODARCO) at the Sapienza University of Rome in Italy.[3]

Political career

Wei turned against the Kuomintang after Fang Su-min and Lin Yi-hsiung's twin daughters were stabbed to death [zh] in 1979.[2] His friendship with Frank Hsieh also contributed to Wei's political beliefs.[2] Wei represented Tainan for two terms on the Legislative Yuan, from 1990 to 1996, as a member of the Democratic Progressive Party.[2][4] During his legislative tenure, Wei became known for fighting fellow lawmakers.[2] Wei alluded to his dental practice in describing physical confrontation attempts to "pull the tiger's teeth."[2] Wei left the Democratic Progressive Party to run an independent campaign for the Tainan County magistracy in 2001. Though a July 2001 opinion poll showed that Wei had not garnered much support,[5] a potential split in the Pan-Green Coalition's voter base between Wei and Su Huan-chih was still considered damaging to Su.[2][6] Wei's campaign was run by former Tainan deputy magistrate Lin Wen-ding.[7] Wei was placed on the Home Party list during the 2008 legislative elections, but not elected to the Legislative Yuan.[8] He contested the Lienchiang County magistracy as an independent in 2018.[9][1] In October 2023, Wei began campaigning for the January 2024 legislative election.[10][11]

Activism

In 2006, Wei served as executive director of the Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go campaign led by Shih Ming-teh.[12] In this position, Wei acted as a spokesman and represented the campaign to the Legislative Yuan.[13][14] In February 2014, Wei founded the Jiawu Regime Change organization alongside fellow former legislators Chen Wan-chen [zh] and Payen Talu, among others, to advocate Taiwan independence.[15] Wei was in attendance at Tsai Ing-wen's presidential inauguration on 20 May 2016, alongside a group of protestors advocating for the replacement of the Constitution of the Republic of China with a Taiwan-centric supreme law.[16] In 2018, Wei and another former legislator, Liang Mu-yang [zh], led a demonstration on the 71st anniversary of the 228 incident, again in support of a rewritten constitution for Taiwan.[17]

Personal life

Wei has a one child, a son who has three master's degrees and a doctorate in law.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c "福建省連江縣第七屆縣長、縣議員選舉 選舉公報" (PDF) (in Chinese). Central Election Commission. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Huang, Joyce (20 November 2001). "Dec. 1 elections: Ex-DPP heavyweight goes it alone". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  3. ^ "台南市第1選區立委候選人魏耀乾提出「武學歷」備受矚目。「台南新聞網 https://tnews.cc/06 」". 台南市第1選區立委候選人魏耀乾提出「武學歷」備受矚目(台南新聞網). Retrieved 22 December 2024. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  4. ^ "Wei Yao-chien (2)". Legislative Yuan. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  5. ^ "Tainan County opinion poll causes political spat". Taipei Times. 8 August 2001. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  6. ^ Chiu, Yu-tzu. "Dec. 1 elections: Candidates search far and wide for votes in Kinmen". Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  7. ^ Huang, Joyce (20 November 2001). "Dec. 1 elections: Infighting threatens DPP candidate's chances for victory". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  8. ^ "〈快訊〉不分區立委開票結果 一覽表" (in Chinese). TVBS. 12 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  9. ^ "馬祖大未來／魏耀乾：解除軍事武裝 馬祖直屬總統府 成兩岸「和平特區」". Yahoo! News Taiwan. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  10. ^ "民進黨創黨元老！現無黨籍魏耀乾 投入台南第1選區立委選舉". United Daily News (in Chinese). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  11. ^ "無黨籍魏耀乾 投入台南第1選區立委選舉". China Times (in Chinese). 6 October 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  12. ^ Ko, Shu-ling (1 September 2006). "Pan-blues want their Shih sit-in donations back". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ Mo, Yan-chih; Ko, Shu-ling (28 September 2006). "Anti-Chen camp returns to Taipei Railway Station". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  14. ^ Wang, Flora (31 October 2006). "Shih campaign proposes corruption statute amendment". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  15. ^ Wang, Chris (27 May 2014). "New group to highlight nation's missing history". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  16. ^ Gerber, Abraham (21 May 2016). "Tsai Inauguration: Demonstrators gather to be heard by new president". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  17. ^ Pan, Jason (24 February 2018). "Local groups hold 228 memorial in Tsai's hometown". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  18. ^ "台灣民眾電子報 | 台南市第一選區1號立委候選人魏耀乾新營競選總部成立大會場面熱烈". allnews.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 22 December 2024.