Won't Run for Yilan County Magistrate, Won't Leave Party! Zhang Jing-sen Makes U-Turn, Says 'It Was Just Emotional': Will Stay in DPP as the 'Crow'

Former Administrative Yuan official Zhang Jing-sen recently announced he would leave the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) due to his opposition to the Yilan high-speed rail (HSR) project. On the 27th, he further stated in a Facebook video that friends in Yilan had been 'constantly pressuring me to run for Yilan county magistrate,' sparking public discussion. However, on the 28th, Zhang made a dramatic reversal. When asked on the program 'POP撞新聞' whether he had actually moved his household registration, Zhang replied, 'No, there wasn’t enough time, not enough time.' He explained that since the HSR issue was a single policy matter, it wasn’t appropriate to push someone to run for county magistrate over it. 'If you want someone to run, you should find a local person. Don’t pick me—there’d be no difference between me and Jacky Wu (Wu Zongxian). Why run just to campaign there?' Regarding leaving the DPP, Zhang softened his stance, saying his wife told him, 'You’re not opposing the DPP itself. If you quit the party, you’re not just opposing the HSR—you’re rejecting the entire party. That doesn’t make logical sense.' Reflecting on this, Zhang admitted it was reasonable. 'The DPP now lacks crows; everyone’s a magpie. Since I love the DPP, staying in the party as a crow is actually good.' Zhang emphasized that his earlier remarks were emotional—'just angry words'—and that the DPP should keep him under 'probation,' allowing him to continue serving as a critical voice. He noted that many young DPP members and staffers had privately messaged him, liking his criticism of the HSR project, showing that the party currently lacks dissenting voices. If he left, there would be no one left to express different opinions.