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KMT campaign turns
desperate
By James Wang 王景弘
During the previous presidential election campaign, the Chinese Nationalist
Party (KMT) accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of playing “dirty
tricks.” They published a list of 16 such “tricks,” and even sent it to the
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
However, the DPP is a bit cleaner than the KMT, and never used any of the tricks
on the list. Ironically, four years later, the KMT has reached a dead-end, and
has itself resorted to using the top tricks on that list.
The first trick on the list was “ethnic manipulation.” Because KMT leaders of
Hakka descent are having problems holding on to their traditional supporters,
they have resorted to labeling Hakka people who cannot speak the Hakka language
as “false Hakka.” And formerly anti--communist military leaders, who used to
rely on the loyal veteran vote, now say they will vote for President Ma Ying-jeou
(馬英九), a father of US citizens, even if it is with tears in their eyes.
The second trick was “underground gambling manipulation.” While this is not
something the DPP would ever do, the KMT is well connected in this respect. Its
“squeaky clean” presidential candidate has admitted to meeting with a big
gambling bookmaker several times, but will not divulge what they talked about.
Ma won the 2008 election because voters were beguiled by the pretty packaging,
and because former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had become a millstone around
the DPP’s neck.
As Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said, the KMT’s strategy was to focus
on attacking Chen and completely ignore the existence of then-DPP presidential
candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
Having cheated the voters, the new government denied Taiwan’s sovereign status
to the outside world. Domestically, the ghost of the party-state began stirring
again as the judiciary and the legislature once again became the tools of
dictatorship. Government waste and corruption increased, justice and fairness
went out the window and any emotional connection to the general public was
severed. Ma’s re-election bid no longer enjoys any advantages: Everyone can see
through him, and his vice president has become a pariah in southern Taiwan.
Amid accusations of donations from the bookmaker, Ma’s re-election campaign is
in shambles because he and his running mate have no political achievements to
their name.
Pan-blue voters are already fed up with Ma. Asking for their support for another
four years is an insult to their intelligence. Faced with this dreary prospect,
then, it is not surprising that the KMT would resort to the same tricks it once
accused its opponent of.
James Wang is a media commentator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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