|
2012 ELECTIONS: Wary
of China, many Taiwanese hope for DPP win
VOTE FOR TAIWAN: Many voters in the south are
worried about the government’s hasty shift toward China, with some saying they
see a need to protect national dignity
By Amber Wang / AFP, GREATER TAINAN
Spirited supporters wave election
flags to greet Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen
during a campaign rally in Chiayi City yesterday.
Photo: PATRICK LIN, AFP
Greater Kaohsiung, Chiayi — cities little
known outside Taiwan, but in Saturday’s presidential election, they could hand
victory to an opposition candidate expected to cool relations with China.
The cities are in the south, where Taiwanese are traditionally wary of China’s
embrace and where many are pinning their hopes on Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is aiming to become Taiwan’s
first female head of state.
“Little Ing elected,” hundreds of people chanted on Sunday in Greater Tainan,
affectionately using Tsai’s nickname as they caught a glimpse of her passing by
in an open-top jeep.
Morale is high among Tsai’s followers, who believe she has a real chance of
regaining power for the DPP, which lost to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) four
years ago.
Relations between China and Taiwan have improved since Ma took office on a
Beijing-friendly platform, allowing in more Chinese tourists and signing an
important trade pact.
Ma is running for a second and final term, arguing that he can maintain
prosperity in Taiwan through stable cross-strait ties, although some voters
appear unconvinced.
“I don’t like China as it often bullies Taiwan and looks down on us,”
22-year-old student Liu Chia-wen said as she took part in a major rally for Tsai
in Greater Kaohsiung. “I think Ma is leaning too much toward China and he hasn’t
done enough to uphold Taiwan’s sovereignty.”
Tsai has given few details about where she would take Taiwan’s China policy if
elected and Beijing has been careful not to explicitly warn against her, fearing
it could boost her support.
However, there is little doubt China would prefer four more years of Ma rather
than a return of the DPP.
In a veiled reference to the DPP’s track record, a spokesman for Beijing’s
Taiwan Affairs Office said last month that insisting on Taiwanese independence
will “harm the peaceful development of relations.”
Southern voters are concerned Taiwan has become too reliant on Beijing during
Ma’s term and dubious over the supposed benefits of closer ties.
“We southerners are rooting for a Tsai victory,” said Wu Jia-chi, a mother of
two who runs a restaurant in Chiayi County.
“I don’t think we should open too much to China, which will want to have more
control of Taiwan and eventually turn us into a second Hong Kong,” she said,
referring to the territory where British rule ended in 1997.
Interviews with voters in the south lay bare the unease that remains to this
day.
Huang Li-chin, a rice distributor from a farming family in Tainan, criticized
Beijing for “trying to buy its way into Taiwan people’s hearts” while refusing
to remove missiles targeting Taiwan.
“Taiwan may be small and weak and China may be rich and powerful, but we want to
be our own masters and we don’t want to become a province of China,” she said.
Huang is among those dismayed by a 2008 incident when police prevented
demonstrators from displaying Taiwan’s national flag during a visit by a top
Chinese official.
“If we don’t have any dignity, it won’t matter how much more money we can make
from trade deals with China,” she said.
Tsai has sought to ease fears that her victory would stir up tensions, vowing to
seek peace and dialogue with Beijing.
Taiwan’s young democracy has traditionally been defined by China policy, but it
is a less prominent factor in these elections because of voter apathy. National
polls show Ma leading Tsai by as little as 3 percentage points.
However, a recent China Times survey showed Tsai’s support in the south was
running at 48 percent in Tainan, Yunlin and Chiayi, against 32 percent for Ma,
reflecting the strong feelings in the region.
Shen Feng-piao, a retired businessman, said he believes China is using trade as
a foil to push for its ultimate political goal of taking over Taiwan, and that
it will pile pressure on Ma if he is re-elected.
“I think Tsai won’t move so fast like Ma, but she won’t be too radical. She can
uphold Taiwan’s sovereignty and maintain the ‘status quo,’” he said. “No matter
how big and strong China is, I want to live in a democracy and I want to elect
my president.”
|
