Following the controversial nomination process of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate for the Taoyuan mayoral election, various KMT members are vying for a nomination for the November vote in Kaohsiung, where they would face off with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Former Department of Health minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) last week said that if given the mandate, he would run as the KMT’s candidate. Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中) also expressed his willingness to run, touting his policies for Kaohsiung at a conference held by local industry representatives on Thursday last week.
If elected, Chang said he would steer clear of cross-strait conflict. If China were to attack Taiwan, he would declare Kaohsiung a “neutral region of peace” (非戰和平區), he said.
However, an internal KMT opinion poll that was leaked to the media showed that other KMT members’ bids to run for Kaohsiung mayor had higher approval ratings. Former legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), who heads the KMT-affiliated National Policy Foundation, ranked first, followed by Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Li-na (陳麗娜), Legislator Jessica Chen (陳玉珍) and Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Shao-ting (黃紹庭). Only two candidates ranked lower than Chang.
Feeling wronged, Chang publicly questioned the poll’s neutrality and authenticity, saying that the report did not say who conducted it or how many valid responses it collected. Others voiced concerns that the party might nominate KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) favored candidate instead of the candidate who garners the most support from local factions, replicating its method for nominating the candidate for Taoyuan.
Among the potential candidates for Kaohsiung, Chang is doubtlessly Chu’s greatest adversary and, if elected, could bring momentous change to the city.
Chang, a “deep blue” educator who promotes unification with China, lost to Chu in the KMT’s chairmanship election last year, but the narrow margin showed that he is a force to be reckoned with.
Most telling is that Chang has now set eyes on Kaohsiung — Taiwan’s second-largest city, which in 2018 elected the KMT’s firebrand populist Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) as mayor. To whip up Han’s remaining fans in the city, Chang has been imitating his language. He said he would “suffer what the people suffer,” replicating one of Han’s most famous catchphrases. His idea to turn Kaohsiung into a “neutral region” recalls Han’s policy proposals. Chang said his policy would deter a Chinese invasion, but he disregards that Kaohsiung has the most military units of Taiwan’s cities and counties, including the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy, the ROC Navy Academy, the ROC Air Force Academy and the Zuoying Naval Base. Demilitarizing Kaohsiung, and turning it into an area similar to Ukraine’s breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, would amount to Taiwan’s surrender.
Moreover, Chang is among several KMT hopefuls for the Kaohsiung election who have expressed mistrust in the internal polling, which shows that Chu has lost the respect and trust of many party members, proving that his leadership is in crisis.
Nevertheless, in a city that traditionally favors DPP candidates, Chang’s real goal might not be winning the election, but unseating Chu as chairman after his term has ended. By bringing Han’s supporters behind him, with fervor and populist rhetoric, Chang might seek to recreate the wave that carried Han’s presidential bid in 2020, turning it into a “Chang wave.”
Chang’s insubordination has proved to be another challenge for Chu’s leadership. Chang, as Chu’s greatest rival in the party, might not be as easily subdued as the KMT hopefuls were in Taoyuan.
Chu will have to tread carefully to avoid losing his chairmanship before the next presidential election.
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