Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), if he runs for president in 2020, might have a similar magnitude of influence as People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), who nearly won the 2000 presidential election as an independent candidate, Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation chairman You Ying-lung (游盈隆) said yesterday.
In a radio interview, You commented on Ko’s rising popularity and his potential candidacy.
“Ko might well be the next James Soong judging from the structure of his support base,” You said.
Photo: CNA
Soong, who entered the 2000 race as an independent after losing the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential nomination to then-vice president Lien Chan (連戰), was then expelled from the KMT and the party accused him of embezzling millions of US dollars from it in what became known as the Chung Hsing Bills Finance scandal.
Soong lost the election to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), by 312,805 votes, but beat Lien by more than 1.7 million votes.
Ko enjoys a degree of popularity similar to Soong’s ahead of the 2000 race and is the nation’s favorite politician, surpassing Premier William Lai (賴清德), You said.
A foundation opinion poll released on Sunday found that Ko scored 66.75 on the “feeling thermometer,” which is gauged between zero and 100, compared with Lai’s 63.44.
However, it remains to be seen if Ko can match Soong’s political influence, You said.
Soong, as a former Taiwan Province governor, had the support of the provincial government and he had built up local political networks loyal to him through decades of effort, You said.
“A fast-rising star like Ko Wen-je might not have the same degree of local support James Soong had,” You said.
Increasing tension between Ko and the DPP is evidence that it finds his popularity threatening, You said.
DPP lawmakers have signed a petition urging the party to nominate its own candidate for next year’s Taipei mayoral election, which it did not do in the 2014 election, and DPP Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) on Monday accused Ko of trying to curry favor with Beijing and turning voters against the DPP.
“It is the ‘Godzilla’ phenomenon. [Ko has become] a powerful monster that frightens all and provokes attack,” You said.
For people outside the political sphere, Ko’s straightforward manner makes him appear unpretentious and his criticism of the DPP administration’s unpopular policies, such as the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and pension reforms, have aligned him with the public, You said.
The recent Cabinet reshuffle has shown disappointed supporters that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) can make wise decisions at critical moments, You said, pointing to Sunday’s poll that found her approval rating boosted by 16.6 percentage points to 46.4 percent.
Tsai approved of the unpopular workweek policy, but the new Cabinet must now amend it because employers and employees do not like it, You said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to