Hsu Jung-shu (Chinese: 許榮淑; born 27 December 1939) is a Taiwanese politician. She co-founded the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986, but was expelled over a 2009 trip to China.
Hsu Jung-shu | |
|---|---|
許榮淑 | |
 Hsu in July 2009 | |
| Member of the Legislative Yuan | |
| In office 23 June 2005 – 31 January 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Tsai Huang-liang |
| Constituency | Republic of China |
| In office 1 February 1993 – 31 January 2005 | |
| Constituency | Republic of China |
| In office 1 February 1981 – 31 January 1984 | |
| Constituency | Taiwan 3rd Nantou County, Changhua County, Taichung County, Taichung City |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 December 1939 Kōshun, Takao Prefecture, Taiwan, Empire of Japan (today Pingtung County, Taiwan) |
| Nationality | Taiwanese |
| Political party | People United Party (since 2009) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic Progressive Party (1986–2009) |
| Spouse | Chang Chun-hung |
| Alma mater | National Taiwan Normal University |
| Occupation | politician |
| Hsu Jung-shu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 許榮淑 | ||||||||
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Education and activism
Hsu graduated from National Taiwan Normal University.[1] When her husband Chang Chun-hung was imprisoned in the aftermath of the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, Hsu left her job as a teacher to run for the Legislative Yuan.[2] Because Hsu was active in the tangwai movement as a distributor of opposition publications, the Kuomintang raided her house for copies of Senh Kin and Taiwan Weekly in January 1984 and September 1985, respectively.[3][4]
Political career
In her 1980 election to the legislature, Hsu won 190,000 votes, a district record, and was the only tangwai-affiliated woman to be seated.[2] During her first term, Hsu continued active participation in opposition causes, visiting jailed activist Lin Hung-hsuan in January 1985 and making a May 1986 trip to the United States to address the first meeting of the US Congressional Committee for Democracy on Taiwan alongside Chou Ching-yu.[5][6] That September, she and seventeen others founded the Democratic Progressive Party.[7] Within the DPP, Hsu was linked to the New Dynamics and Formosa factions.[8][9] She was entrusted with the responsibilities of high ranking party posts, becoming the first woman to serve as party whip.[10] Hsu was also chair of the Central Review Committee and has served on the Central Standing Committee.[11][12] Though she stepped down at the end of her term in 2005, Hsu was reappointed to the Legislative Yuan when Tsai Huang-liang chose to run for the Nantou County magistracy.[13] Hsu was sworn in on 23 June.[14] The next year, Kuomintang legislator Chiu Yi accused Hsu and others of embezzlement.[15][16]
In 2007, Hsu visited China to discuss Cross-Strait crime.[17] Later that year, she was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics World Summer Games.[18] In 2009, Hsu began attending the Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum, despite senior DPP officials having advised her against it.[19][20] Hsu's party membership was suspended on 23 July 2009, and she was officially expelled four days later.[21][22] Shortly after her expulsion, Hsu founded the People United Party. She attended the 2010 forum,[23][24] and the following year declared her candidacy for the 2012 presidential election.[25] Hsu eventually dropped out of the campaign. In 2013, she was again in attendance at the Cross-Strait forum.[26] Hsu sought the presidency again in 2016, and received support from the Taiwan Progressive Party, National Health Service Alliance, and Zhongshan Party.[27][28] Her candidacy was nullified in November, as the People United Party had not submitted its petition of signatures to the Central Election Commission by the deadline.[29]
Personal life
Due to the events of the Kaohsiung Incident, Chang Chun-hung and Hsu Jung-shu have separated.[30][31]