In an attempt to garner support from young people, the governing Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of Youth Development hosted its annual Public Service Flagship Camp (國務青旗艦營) from Thursday to Saturday last week.
The average age of participants was 21, and the party held various activities such as lectures, outdoor visits and “Model Ruling Party” in which participants simulated the roles of government officials.
The event, dubbed the “Democracy Recharge Station,” featured prominent political figures such as President and DPP Chairman William Lai (賴清德), Presidential Office spokesperson Kuo Ya-hui (郭雅慧), Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and other people from different government agencies.
Offering lectures and engaging in discussions with participants, distinguished guests managed to obtain decent insights about the young generation’s attitude toward the ruling party.
The lectures and discussions covered numerous topics, including the recent Bluebird movement, the policy framework of the Executive Yuan and the challenges the ruling party face.
During the Model Ruling Party session, participants were tasked to devise strategies that would help the party reach out to the young generation and present their proposals to Lai the following day.
On the last day of the camp, Lai said he appreciated the participants for giving the DPP innovative advice to maximize its youth support.
The president also outlined three main issues that are jeopardizing Taiwan’s democracy, namely the incessant conflicts among political parties in the Legislative Yuan, divided views on national identity and the threat of totalitarianism.
He encouraged the participants to continuously raise new ideas and protect the democratic values enjoyed by the Taiwanese society, so that these problems can be effectively eliminated.
Upon the completion of the three-day camp, most participants held a favorable attitude toward the DPP’s endeavor to boost youth support.
Many said that the party has become more active in seeking young people’s thoughts on recent political issues, enabling the government to adjust its policies in alignment with the youth’s voices.
DPP Youth Director Juan Chun-ta (阮俊達) also said he was surprised by the rise in female participation in the camp, emphasizing that promoting gender equality in political affairs would bolster the party’s public approval in the long term.
Aside from the Flagship Camp, the DPP has also been holding other events to secure youth support.
Since the presidential and legislative elections, the ruling party has been regularly hosting workshops in many regions, which has provided the young generation with opportunities to exchange perspectives with the political figures on diverse issues.
It has also been producing online content such as YouTube videos and podcast episodes, making current affairs more accessible to its young audience.
These efforts, coupled with controversies over the opposition majority’s legislative reforms, seem to have begun paying off.
A poll released by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation on Tuesday showed that 63.1 percent of respondents aged between 20 and 24 approved of Lai’s handling of national affairs.
However, due to former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan’s (鄭文燦) suspected involvement in a corruption case, support for the DPP fell, decreasing from 37.4 percent last month to 33.1 percent this month, the poll showed.
The decline in party support indicates that despite leading in all recent polls, the governing party still needs to steadfastly maintain its political integrity in order to consolidate voters’ support.
Furthermore, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party are also consistently intensifying efforts to augment their online visibility, which might lead to heightened competition among the major political parties.
As the Internet gradually becomes most people’s main source of news and information, modern technology is expected to have a significant impact on voters’ political tendencies in the future.
All political parties must therefore strive to enhance their online influence, so that they can successfully acquire the support of a wider spectrum of voters.
Tshua Siu-ui is a Taiwanese student studying international relations and politics in Norwich, England.
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