Since the rancorous and histrionic breakup of the planned “blue-white alliance,” polls have shown a massive drop in support for Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), whose support rate has dropped to 20 percent. Young people and pan-blue supporters seem to be ditching him.
Within a few weeks, Ko has gone from being the most sought after candidate to seeking a comeback.
A few months ago, he was the one holding all the cards and calling the shots, with everything in place for a rise to stardom. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was still dealing with doubts from its terrible performance in last year’s local elections, while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), has proved to be a relatively weak character who could not generate excitement. As long as Ko stayed ahead of Hou, he had a good chance of winning the three-horse race.
For Ko, winning the presidency would be a bonus. As the chairman of a third party that is just starting to expand its influence and power, he has his eyes set on boosting his party’s share of legislative seats. By characterizing the DPP as being in dereliction of duty, among other issues, he sparked a sense of deprivation and exploitation among the public, and established himself as the champion of an anti-DPP coalition.
As a master strategist, he has been careful not to cross the line or offend KMT supporters, because he is relying on strategic voting.
If he finishes second in the presidential election and the TPP emerges as the biggest opposition party ahead of the KMT, that would satisfy him.
However, Ko’s capriciousness and duplicity have come back to bite him. His flirtation with the KMT culminated in a joint statement by both parties last week, but being unable to bear the pressure from his party, supporters and his sobbing family, Ko broke the deal.
At the last-ditch meeting at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, Hou threw Ko under the bus by reading aloud text messages, resulting in the two parties going their separate ways.
Ko’s act of self-defeat — being open to run as second fiddle to Hou, whether out of fear of losing or due to a moment of frailty — awakened his supporters and TPP members to his true nature: The leader who vowed to bring reform and “return the country to young people” betrayed their trust by being willing to be vice president on a combined ticket.
While he might be seen as a master plotter, playing politicians against each another, perhaps the real Ko is one who seeks to “fake it until he makes it” while hoping people do not see through him.
Without a vision for the nation, he improvises on the campaign trail when he faces trouble.
It is ironic that Ko pleads for his supporters to not write him off when it was he who initiated the planned alliance with the KMT, showing that he does not have the spine for responsibility, and needs his wife and mother to save him.
With Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) joining Hou on the KMT ticket, Hou’s support has spiked, with deep-blue supporters rallying behind him. Ko, on the other hand, seems to have been abandoned, lacking allies and financial aid.
Even though he is not out of the game yet, Ko faces an uphill battle, just as Hou did a few months ago.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), the leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), caused a national outrage and drew diplomatic condemnation on Tuesday after he arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office dressed in a Nazi uniform. Sung performed a Nazi salute and carried a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf as he arrived to be questioned over allegations of signature forgery in the recall petition. The KMT’s response to the incident has shown a striking lack of contrition and decency. Rather than apologizing and distancing itself from Sung’s actions,
US President Trump weighed into the state of America’s semiconductor manufacturing when he declared, “They [Taiwan] stole it from us. They took it from us, and I don’t blame them. I give them credit.” At a prior White House event President Trump hosted TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家), head of the world’s largest and most advanced chip manufacturer, to announce a commitment to invest US$100 billion in America. The president then shifted his previously critical rhetoric on Taiwan and put off tariffs on its chips. Now we learn that the Trump Administration is conducting a “trade investigation” on semiconductors which
By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
RSS