As we enter a new year, the arrival of a new batch of mayors and county commissioners who are not members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) may bring new prospects for local politics. In 2008 the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost the presidency, and local power has also been in the hands of its rivals since then, but now the party’s hopes have been rekindled.
The fireworks that lit up the night sky on New Year’s Eve also cast their glow over the ascent of these new leaders. Some politicians who handed their power to the newcomers chose to stay away from the New Year celebrations, letting their successors bask in the limelight, and this could be seen as an initial acceptance of their responsibility.
Although these changes are at the local level, their impact is sure to be felt in next year’s presidential election.
Local politics are generally not obscured by the convoluted issues of national sovereignty and differing identities, so it is relatively easy to judge local leaders’ performance on their merits. When the DPP had control of just six county and municipal governments, most assessments showed that DPP mayors and county commissioners performed better than their KMT counterparts. Now that it is at the helm of 13 counties and municipalities, the DPP has all the more reason to cherish the chance to do a good job.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) won the election by presenting himself as belonging to the “white” force, transcending the blue and green political camps headed by the KMT and DPP respectively. It was this image that made the impossible possible for Ko and his supporters.
However, in view of Taiwan’s overall political shift, Ko’s poll victory should be seen as an extension of the DPP’s gains. It can be expected that Ko will work in concert with the now-stronger DPP, building an impetus that may bring the KMT’s ramparts tumbling down.
There are now 13 DPP-
controlled counties and municipalities, in addition to Taipei with Ko as mayor. Together, they form five new geopolitical clusters — Taipei and Keelung together with Yilan County; Greater Taoyuan and Hsinchu County; Greater Taichung and Changhua County; Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Chiayi City and Greater Tainan; and Greater Kaohsiung and Pingtung and Penghu counties.
While this sea of green has turned the KMT-run municipalities and counties into lonely blue islands, these clusters may interact to form a new geopolitical formation. By working together for regional development, they may act as bellwethers so that people across the nation can hear the call and see the light of a new kind of politics.
Long ago, the DPP declared that it stood for clean government, diligence and love of the land. These are ideals that will never go out of date. At a time when people are sick of the KMT for clinging to ill-gotten party assets and claiming to be clean when it is really corrupt, it is all the more important for these 13+1 city and county governments to put these ideals into practice and make them into their political trademarks.
The wave of change extends all the way from north to south. No longer is the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪) an obstacle to stopping the KMT’s arbitrary rule. The public has given the DPP another chance, and they want to see the DPP and other non-KMT politicians working together to bring new hope. The new political forces in Taipei, the capital city, are echoing these calls for change. If all goes well, we will see a new face of Taiwan emerge from north to south.
Lee Min-yung is a poet.
Translated by Julian Clegg
There are moments in history when America has turned its back on its principles and withdrawn from past commitments in service of higher goals. For example, US-Soviet Cold War competition compelled America to make a range of deals with unsavory and undemocratic figures across Latin America and Africa in service of geostrategic aims. The United States overlooked mass atrocities against the Bengali population in modern-day Bangladesh in the early 1970s in service of its tilt toward Pakistan, a relationship the Nixon administration deemed critical to its larger aims in developing relations with China. Then, of course, America switched diplomatic recognition
The international women’s soccer match between Taiwan and New Zealand at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Football Stadium, scheduled for Tuesday last week, was canceled at the last minute amid safety concerns over poor field conditions raised by the visiting team. The Football Ferns, as New Zealand’s women’s soccer team are known, had arrived in Taiwan one week earlier to prepare and soon raised their concerns. Efforts were made to improve the field, but the replacement patches of grass could not grow fast enough. The Football Ferns canceled the closed-door training match and then days later, the main event against Team Taiwan. The safety
The National Immigration Agency on Tuesday said it had notified some naturalized citizens from China that they still had to renounce their People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizenship. They must provide proof that they have canceled their household registration in China within three months of the receipt of the notice. If they do not, the agency said it would cancel their household registration in Taiwan. Chinese are required to give up their PRC citizenship and household registration to become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. He was referring to Article 9-1 of the Act
The Chinese government on March 29 sent shock waves through the Tibetan Buddhist community by announcing the untimely death of one of its most revered spiritual figures, Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche. His sudden passing in Vietnam raised widespread suspicion and concern among his followers, who demanded an investigation. International human rights organization Human Rights Watch joined their call and urged a thorough investigation into his death, highlighting the potential involvement of the Chinese government. At just 56 years old, Rinpoche was influential not only as a spiritual leader, but also for his steadfast efforts to preserve and promote Tibetan identity and cultural
RSS