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Freddy Lim

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Freddy Lim
MLY
Lâm sưởng tá
Official portrait, 2020
Member of the Legislative Yuan
In office
1 February 2016 – 31 January 2024
Preceded byLin Yu-fang
Succeeded byWu Pei-yi
ConstituencyTaipei City V
1stLeader of the New Power Party
In office
25 January 2015 – 2 July 2015
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHuang Kuo-chang
Personal details
Born(1976-02-01)1 February 1976(age 48)
Taipei,Taiwan
Political partyDemocratic Progressive Party(since 2023)
Other political
affiliations		New Power Party(2015–2019)
Independent(2019-2023)
SpouseDoris Yeh
Alma materTaipei Private Yan Ping High School
National Taipei University
Freddy Lim
Traditional ChineseLâm sưởng tá
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLín Chǎngzuǒ
Bopomofoㄌㄧㄣˊㄔㄤˇㄗㄨㄛˇ
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLàhm Chóng-jo
JyutpingLam4Cong2-zo3
Southern Min
HokkienPOJLîm Chhióng-chò
Tâi-lôLîm Tshióng-tsò

Freddy Lim Tshiong-tso(Chinese:Lâm sưởng tá;pinyin:Lín Chǎngzuǒ;Tâi-lô:Lîm Tshióng-tsò;born 1 February 1976) is aTaiwanesepolitician, musician, andindependenceactivist. He is the lead vocalist of the Taiwanese heavy-metal bandChthonic.and the lead vocalist of the bandMetal Clone X[zh]started by him and American guitaristMarty Friedman.Lim served as chair ofAmnesty InternationalTaiwan from 2010 to 2014. He was one of the founding leaders of theNew Power Party(NPP) in Taiwan and represented the party in theLegislative Yuanuntil 2019. Lim won a second legislative term as an independent in 2020.

Early life and music career

[edit]

Lim was an ardent supporter ofChinese unificationas a student, because he was taught from China-centric textbooks in middle school and high school.[1]A diagnosis of anxiety in middle school made him ineligible for military duty.[2][3]Lim formedChthonicin 1995, during his second year of university, when he began identifying more strongly with his Taiwanese identity.[1]

Often known simply as Freddy in Taiwan,[4][5]Lim chose to name himself afterFreddy Krueger.[6]On stage, Lim is known as "Left Face of Maradou" and wore corpse paint portraying theBa-Jia-Jiangin performances until 2011, when the band ended their use of corpse paint.[7][8]

With fellow Chthonic member and wife Doris Yeh,[9][10]Lim started the Taiwan Rock Alliance, and as co-founder of The Wall, helped organize two music festivals,FormozandMegaport.[11][12]Lim's stake in The Wall was bought out in 2012, and amid the resulting dispute, both festivals were cancelled in 2014.[13]They returned in the next year, organized by Lim's Taiwan Rock Alliance.[14]The Taiwan Rock Alliance has also put on a separate concert since 2000. Originally named Say No to China, the concert occurs some time around the anniversary of theFebruary 28 incident.[15]It then used the name Say Yes to Taiwan until 2007, when it was renamed again to Spirit of Taiwan.[16]

Lim was elected to leadAmnesty InternationalTaiwan in 2010 and stepped down in 2014.[17]

Chthonic was billed to play on the second day of the 2018 On the Pulse of Music Festival, but the performance had to be cancelled because Hong Kong Immigration Department refused to grant Lim a visa. Although the Immigration Department says it does not comment on individual cases, the rejection letter was published by the group's local sponsor, Goomusic. In the letter, officials stated that a person seeking to enter Hong Kong for employment "should, amongst other things, possess a special skill, knowledge or experience of value to and not readily available in the HKSAR", and that the immigration Department was not satisfied that Lim met the criteria.[18]Commentator Stephen Vines questioned the black box operation of an unaccountable bureaucracy, saying it was "no wonder this sort of nonsense was not intended to be made public, otherwise questions might well be asked about whether the newfound musical expertise of the bureaucrats was going to apply to all the very large number of other musicians playing gigs in Hong Kong".[19]

In 2020, he started an English podcast with Taiwanese journalist Emily Y. Wu called Metalhead Politics to direct international attention to Taiwan's political issues: "It's important to get people listening to what's going on here — whether they're metalheads or not".[20]

In politics

[edit]

In January 2015, Lim founded theNew Power Party.[21]The next month Lim declared his candidacy for the2016 elections,aiming to contest theDaan Districtlegislative seat held byKuomintangincumbentChiang Nai-shin.[22]A few weeks later, Lim ceded the race to Social Democratic Party candidateFan Yun[zh],[23]choosing instead to run against incumbentKuomintanglegislatorLin Yu-fangin theZhongzheng–Wanhuaconstituency.[24]TheDemocratic Progressive Partydid not nominate candidates in the constituency, choosing to support Lim,[25]who defeated Lin in the elections held on 16 January 2016.[26]Lim was assigned to theForeign and National Defense Committee[zh](FNDC) after taking office.[27]In October, Lim announced the formation of a Tibet caucus in the Legislative Yuan, with himself as caucus leader.[28][29]

Taipei City Constituency 5 in the 2016 Legislative Yuan election
Candidate Party Votes Percentage
Freddy Lim Lâm sưởng tá New Power Party 82,650 49.52%
Lin Yu-fang Lâm úc phương Kuomintang 76,079 45.58%
You Jui-min Vưu thụy mẫn Trees Party 4,506 2.69%
Kung Wei-lun Cung vĩ luân Independent 1,710 1.02%
Li Chia-hsin Lý gia hạnh Taiwan Independence Party[zh] 885 0.53%
Huang Fu-liao Hoàng phúc khanh Independent 587 0.35%
Hung Hsien-cheng Hồng hiện chính Constitutional Conventions of Taiwan 478 0.28%
SourceArchived10 April 2021 at theWayback Machine Total 166,895 100%

On 3 October 2018 during the FNDC session, Lim proposed to re-examine the1987 Lieyu massacrefiles in the military archive to render a formal apology to the victims' families through theVietnamese Representative Office,[30][31]butMinister of National Defence,GeneralYen Teh-fadisagreed, claiming that troops followed thestandard operating procedurein effect duringmartial law,and have beencourt-martialed;later theMinistry of National Defenseissued a written response stating that the case "could not be processed further, as it is too difficult to identify the deceased after so much time has passed," which serve as the sole statement of the ROC government for the massacre in 31 years after martial law was lifted in 1987.[32][33]

In August 2019, Lim announced that he would leave the New Power Party to supportTsai Ing-wenin the2020 Taiwan presidential election.Lim also stated that he would run for legislative reelection as a political independent.[34][35]He won reelection in January 2020, defeating Lin Yu-fang for a second time.[36]

TheCentral Election Commissionannounced on 10 August 2021 that a petition to recall Lim had gathered enough support, one percent of the eligible electorate in his constituency, to pass the first stage.[37]On 3 December 2021, the CEC announced that the recall movement against Lim garnered 27,362 valid signatures, more than the ten percent threshold required in the second stage to trigger a recall election.Lim's recall election[zh]was held on 9 January 2022, the same day as the replacement vote for Taichung's 2nd legislative district, whereChen Po-weilost a recall vote[zh]in October 2021.[38][39]Supporters of the recall effort have criticized Lim for his response to theCOVID-19 pandemicin his district.[40]A total of 218 polling stations were open during the recall vote.[41]Although votes to recall Lim outnumbered votes against Lim's recall, low turnout meant that the result was not binding.[42]

Lim announced in March 2023 that he did not plan to contest the2024 Taiwanese legislative election,[43][44]citing the need to care for an ill relative.[45]On 27 November 2023 he announced that he would join theDemocratic Progressive Party(DPP), at the urging ofVice Presidentand DPPpresidential candidateLai Ching-te.[46]

Political stances

[edit]

Lim favors the abolition ofcapital punishment,[47]and supports the legalization ofsame-sex marriageand marijuana use in Taiwan.[48][49]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abGerber, Abraham (17 November 2015)."INTERVIEW: Metal band singer Freddy Lim talks about politics".Taipei Times.Retrieved17 November2015.
  2. ^"Thời đại lực lượng tham tuyển người bị bạo đào binh dịch võng hữu toan không tẫn nghĩa vụ không dám đầu".Apple Daily(in Chinese). 25 August 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 22 November 2015.Retrieved22 November2015– via Yam News.
  3. ^"Freddy nhân lo âu chịu chú ý kha P nói như vậy..."Liberty Times(in Chinese). 27 August 2015.Retrieved27 August2015.
  4. ^Frazier, David (4 May 2001)."Music industry prepares to pat itself on the back".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  5. ^Woodworth, Max (27 February 2004)."Say it loud: 'Up yours China'".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  6. ^Frazier, David (22 June 2001)."Monsters of rock loom over Taipei".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  7. ^Sherwin, Adam (20 January 2016)."Freddy Lim: Meet Taiwan's new rock'n'roll lawmaker".The Independent.Retrieved9 April2016.
  8. ^Bansal, Andrew (9 September 2011)."Interview: Chthonic Bassist Doris Yeh Discusses New Album and Scary Touring Experiences".Guitar World.Retrieved9 April2016.
  9. ^Shih, Eric (11 July 2009)."Shooting for the stars".Taipei Times.Retrieved23 April2016.
  10. ^Woodworth, Max (8 October 2004)."Rock 'n' roll pow-wow".Taipei Times.Retrieved9 April2016.
  11. ^Quartly, Jules (30 July 2004)."When is dance music not electronica?".Taipei Times.Retrieved9 April2016.
  12. ^Woodworth, Max (10 July 2004)."Michelle Shocked set to rock Formoz".Taipei Times.Retrieved9 April2016.
  13. ^Frazier, David (24 January 2014)."Live Wire: Lunar New Year line up".Taipei Times.Retrieved9 April2016.
  14. ^Frazier, David (20 March 2015)."Live Wire: Battling music festivals: Megaport vs T-Fest".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  15. ^Brownlow, Ron (28 February 2007)."Tune in, turn on, tell the truth".Taipei Times.Retrieved9 April2016.
  16. ^Brownlow, Ron (27 February 2008)."Rock talks".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  17. ^Liao, George (16 January 2016)."NPP's Freddy Lim declares election victory".Taiwan News.Retrieved3 May2017.
  18. ^"Why Hong Kong rejected Taiwanese singer's visa application".South China Morning Post.24 December 2018.
  19. ^"How the government works in the dark EJINSIGHT – ejinsight".EJINSIGHT.
  20. ^Sayce, Rob (17 August 2020)."'We want a fairer society': Freddy Lim, Taiwan's metalhead MP ".the Guardian.Retrieved9 November2021.
  21. ^Su, Fang-ho; Chen, Wei-han (26 June 2015)."INTERVIEW: Freddy Lim unfolds New Power Party platform".Taipei Times.Retrieved17 November2015.
  22. ^Chen, Wei-han (23 February 2015)."Metal singer to run for legislator".Taipei Times.Retrieved18 November2015.
  23. ^Wen, Lii (17 March 2015)."Freddy Lim withdraws from Daan poll".Taipei Times.Retrieved18 November2015.
  24. ^Loa, Lok-sin (20 March 2015)."Freddy Lim to run in Wanhua-Zhongzheng".Taipei Times.Retrieved17 November2015.
  25. ^Loa, Lok-sin (10 December 2015)."DPP approves list of candidates outside the party to support".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  26. ^Hsiao, Alison (17 January 2016)."ELECTIONS: DPP secures absolute majority in Legislative Yuan".Taipei Times.Retrieved17 January2016.
  27. ^Gerber, Abraham (23 February 2016)."Rules on committee members selection irk NPP lawmakers".Taipei Times.Retrieved23 February2016.
  28. ^Chen, Chun-hua; Hsu, Elizabeth (7 October 2016)."Tibet caucus established in Taiwan's Legislature".Central News Agency.Retrieved8 October2016.
  29. ^Gerber, Abraham (8 October 2016)."Lawmakers establish Tibet group".Taipei Times.Retrieved8 October2016.
  30. ^"【19 thi 20 mệnh 】 ngô đảo văn học đầu thưởng tham thảo “Tam thất sự kiện” tiểu Kim Môn giết chóc thời đại "[Top Prize of the Wudao Literacy Award for the Research on March 7 Incident,the Killing Era in Lesser Kinmen].UP Media(in Chinese (Taiwan)). Kinmen. 23 November 2019.Retrieved27 December2021.
  31. ^Guan Ren- gian (7 March 2008)."Quốc quân tàn sát Việt Nam dân chạy nạn tam thất sự kiện"[ROC Army Massacre Vietnamese Refugees in March Incident] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). PChome News.Retrieved27 December2021.
  32. ^Ngoại giao cập quốc phòng ủy ban (3 October 2018)."Hội nghị tùy tuyển"[Proceedings Broadcast of the Foreign and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan, IVOD Network Multimedia Video System] (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Lập pháp viện nghị sự tiếp sóng IVOD võng lộ nhiều truyền thông tùy tuyển video hệ thống.Retrieved27 December2021.
  33. ^Lâm sưởng tá ủy viên, nghiêm đức phát bộ trưởng (3 October 2018)."267 lập pháp viện công báo đệ 107 cuốn đệ 81 kỳ ủy ban kỷ lục lập pháp viện đệ 9 giới đệ 6 ngày họp ngoại giao cập quốc phòng ủy ban đệ 3 thứ toàn thể ủy ban nghị kỷ lục"[Foreign and National Defense Committee Records No. 3, Legislative Yuan Gazette, Vol. 107, No. 81, Legislative Yuan Term 9, Session 6](PDF)(in Chinese (Taiwan)). Taipei: Lập pháp viện công báo đệ 107 cuốn đệ 81 kỳ.Retrieved27 December2021.
  34. ^Maxon, Ann (2 August 2019)."Lim to leave NPP, back Tsai re-election bid".Taipei Times.Retrieved2 August2019.
  35. ^Cheng, Chun-hua; Yu, Hsiao-han; Liu, Kuan-ting; Chung, Yu-chen (1 August 2019)."NPP legislator quits party to run as independent".Central News Agency.Retrieved1 August2019.
  36. ^Lin, Sean (12 January 2020)."2020 Elections: DPP maintains its legislative majority".Taipei Times.Retrieved12 January2020.
  37. ^Lin, Yu-hsuan; Yeh, Joseph (10 August 2021)."Petition to recall lawmaker Freddy Lim passes first stage".Central News Agency.Retrieved13 August2021.Republished as:"Petition against Lim to proceed to second stage".Taipei Times.14 August 2021.Retrieved14 August2021.
  38. ^Strong, Matthew (3 December 2021)."Taiwan sets Jan. 9 for recall vote of rock star legislator".Taiwan News.Retrieved3 December2021.
  39. ^Lai, Yu-chen; Wang, Yang-yu; Liu, Kay (3 December 2021)."Date set for recall vote of lawmaker Freddy Lim".Central News Agency.Retrieved4 December2021.Republished as:"Lim recall vote scheduled for January 9".Taipei Times.4 December 2021.Retrieved4 December2021.
  40. ^Hale, Erin (7 January 2022)."Taiwan Rock Star Politician Faces Recall Vote".Voice of America.Retrieved8 January2022.
  41. ^Yeh, Joseph (9 January 2022)."Independent Legislator Freddy Lim survives recall vote".Central News Agency.Retrieved9 January2022.Republished as:"Lim squeaks through recall vote".Taipei Times.10 January 2022.Retrieved10 January2022.
  42. ^Yeh, Joseph (9 January 2022)."Independent Legislator Freddy Lim survives recall vote (update)".Central News Agency.Retrieved9 January2022.
  43. ^Everington, Keoni (13 March 2023)."Freddy Lim announces he will not run in 2024 Taiwan elections".Taiwan News.Retrieved3 September2023.
  44. ^"Independent lawmaker Freddy Lim announces he won't run for reelection in 2024".Formosa Television. 17 March 2023.Retrieved3 September2023.
  45. ^Hetherington, William (18 March 2023)."Freddy Lim to retire from politics, look after family".Taipei Times.Retrieved3 September2023.
  46. ^"Independent lawmaker Freddy Lim applies to join DPP".Central News Agency. 27 November 2023.Retrieved27 November2023.
  47. ^Chou, Christine (29 March 2016)."Legislator pushes for harsher death penalty law".China Post.Retrieved10 April2016.
  48. ^Hsiao, Alison (13 January 2016)."ELECTIONS: KMT challenges Tsai over death penalty".Taipei Times.Retrieved10 April2016.
  49. ^van der Horst, Linda (6 January 2016)."The Rise of Taiwan's 'Third Force'".The Diplomat.Retrieved10 April2016.
[edit]
Party political offices
Preceded by
New office
 Captain ofNew Power Party
25 January 2015 – 2 July 2015 		Succeeded by
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