New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) lack of flexibility and aggressiveness in speaking was one of the reasons the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lost in the presidential election, his running mate, Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), said yesterday.
Jaw returned to hosting political shows on Broadcasting Corp of China and TVBS after their loss in Saturday’s election.
“Our poll results showed that we had been trailing by about 3 percent, but the final result showed we had lost by about 6 percent,” Jaw said on his talk show TVBS Situation Room. “Instead of urging supporters to engage in strategic voting, the KMT asked them to concentrate their votes, which clearly failed to lead to desirable outcomes.”
Photo courtesy of Jaw Shaw-kong
Jaw credited the success of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in the presidential election to its use of the Internet.
“Through its intensive online campaign, the TPP continued to build momentum, telling people that their polls showed that their approval rating was ranked either No.1 or No. 2. Many people would have voted for us if they had not been convinced that TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had a better chance to succeed than Hou,” he said.
Meanwhile, KMT polls showed that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) approval ratings rose during the 10 days leading up to the elections, Jaw said.
“As the ruling party, the DPP has many resources at its disposal. It can use the justice system to interrogate borough wardens,” he said.
Jaw attributed Hou’s steadiness and sense of justice to his law enforcement background, but such characteristics could also be a disadvantage when it comes to elections, he said.
“Rarely do you see police officers and police chiefs who are quick and agile in speaking. However, I must say that Hou was doing much better than others because of his experiences as New Taipei City mayor,” Jaw said.
As a challenger in the presidential election, Hou must not give his opponents a break and should have been ready to launch surprise attacks every day.
“You tend to overthink and become conservative once you become a local government official. Hou tends to believe in what he heard from experts and think tanks. However, running for president is different from giving an academic presentation,” he said.
Jaw also wrote on Facebook that the KMT and TPP should work together in the legislature to keep the DPP in check.
In Saturday’s legislative elections, the DPP won 51 seats in the 113-seat legislature, the KMT garnered 52 and the TPP eight. Another two seats were won by independents aligned with the KMT.
“The KMT did not garner 50 percent of the seats, and it cannot pass any bill or budget plans even if it could muster 54 votes at the legislature. There would be 62 votes if all opposition lawmakers work together, and it would be a force that the DPP must reckon with,” he wrote.
The election of the legislative speaker on Feb. 1 could be the first chance for the KMT and TPP to work together, Jaw said.
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