Taiwan's ruling KMT gets wake-up call in by-election
Updated
Taiwan's ruling nationalist Kuomintang party has acknowledged that a weekend by-election loss was a warning from the people.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, the DPP won the seat of Yunlin by a wide margin.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speakers: Professor Chen Wen-Hsien, National Chengchi University
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CHEN: Well, I think as the result of the elections, generally reflecting voters' discontent with the overall performance of the Ma Ying-jeou's government in the past, especially as you just mentioned the Typhoon Morokot is in August, the rescue effort was widely considered in Taiwan as insufficient. And the Ma Ying-jeou government has shown very poor leadership in society.
LAM: Well, the government response after Morokot was found to be wanting, but what other issues was the electorate concerned with, in Yunlin?
WEN-HSEIN: I think economic issues also played a role in the outcome of the election. Generally speaking, the Ma administration has promised economic prosperity since President Ma took power last May. But actually up to now, every indicators including the exporting rate, the unemployment rate in Taiwan has reached the highest in recent years. And other than that, in Yunlin county, I think the KMT, the ruling party is split and also it has been marred in Yunlin county's elections with the image of the gangsters, or connecting with the underworld. And also corruption involved in the vote buying with the KMT's candidate. All those are factors are summed up to explain the defeat of the KMT candidate in Yunlin county a couple of days ago.
LAM: But hasn't the KMT addressed those issues, including Black Gold politics? You mentioned the link with organised crime. Didn't they address a lot of those issues when they were in Opposition?
WEN-HSEIN: Yes, I think the KMT has noticed their image and their problems in local elections, so they try to. I think they try to present the image of a clean image of new, of new policy of clean politics. Yet I don't think it can happen overnight, especially when look into deeper into the Yunlin county elections. Politics in Yunlin - we just cannot expect that the so-called clean politics, portrayed the KMT can happen overnight. They need time for them to really engage with local politicians in local politics, to advise them not to ... (trails off).
LAM: So do you think that the KMT failed to capitalise on the troubles that beset the DPP. After all, former President Chen Shui-bian has been convicted of corruption, that has not affected the DPP's popularity?
WEN-HSEIN: No, I don't think so. Actually, in a large quarter of our society, simply think that the judicial system has failed, and also is in trouble. And many consider the judicial system is biased. And not to mention sometime ago, a high-level politician came from the KMT circle, just simply said that the court simply operated by the KMT, something like that.
