LEADERSHIP ABILITY: Pundits credit the DPP chief for
Saturday’s results but say the KMT administration’s poor
policymaking and public relations played a role
By Jenny W. hsu
STAFF REPORTER
Monday, Jan 11, 2010, Page 3
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) victories in
Saturday’s legislative by-elections cemented DPP Chairperson
Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文)
leadership status but observers warned the party must tread
carefully to maintain the momentum it needs for the five
year-end special municipality elections.
The DPP supporters cheered on Saturday for the three
candidates who did bagged the seats in Taoyuan County Second
District, Taichung County and Taitung County, especially Lai
Kun-cheng (賴坤成),
who made history by becoming the first DPP legislator ever
elected in the traditional pan-blue stronghold in Taitung.
National Chung Cheng University professor Hsieh Min-chieh (謝敏捷)
said the results were a cry from the public for a more
even-handed legislature while the government struggles to
convince people of its leadership ability.
Hsieh said both the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
appointed new secretary-generals to spearhead the election
fight but while DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chuan (蘇嘉全)
fulfilled his expectations, the KMT’s King Pu-tsung (金溥聰)
failed to fulfill his pledge to turn the party into an
“election machine.”
“The KMT might have made some small adjustments, but minor
tactics are of little use because the overall situation was
still poor,” Hsieh said.
However, he said the DPP should not be too comfortable
because it remains a minority in the legislature.
Shih Cheng-feng (施正峰),
of the College of Indigenous Studies at National Dong Hwa
University, said Saturday’s elections had been called
because the former KMT winners had been found guilty of
vote-buying, but the Feb. 27 by-elections were necessitated
by KMT lawmakers who had won elections as county
commissioners in last month’s local elections.
Despite the triple triumph and the possibility of doing well
in next month’s by-elections, Shih said the odds were long
against the DPP topping the year-end special municipality
elections because it has difficulties courting voters in the
north and center of the country.
Mingchuan University professor Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建)
said Saturday’s results were a warning flag to the KMT that
the public was dissatisfied with the administration and was
ready to boot them out if necessary.
Recent issues such as the government’s inability to curb the
controversy over the safety of the locally produced A(H1N1)
vaccine, the row lawmakers and with Washington over US beef
imports and its murky explanation of the economic
cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing — all
contribute to widespread doubt about President Ma Ying-jeou’s
(馬英九)
capabilities, he said.
Unless the Ma administration can come up with major policies
to win back voters, Ma will go on a quick downward spiral,
Chen said.
The KMT should be “psychologically prepared” to lose big in
the Feb. 27 elections because if the momentum continues to
favor the DPP, the pan-green camp could a end up snatching
the year-end elections, which are seen as a crucial
indicator of the 2012 presidential race, he said.
The DPP cannot be content with its boosted presence in the
legislature because dramatic moves to the right could end up
causing a pendulum effect that would benefit the pan-camp in
the later races.
The DPP’s wins on Saturday mean it has met the threshold to
launch a motion to recall the president, request the
president to report to the legislature and amend the
Constitution.
The DPP must use its new power carefully, Chen said, because
launching motions on highly controversial issues such as a
presidential impeachment could stir up more public conflict.
Shih and Chen agreed that the biggest winner on Saturday was
Tsai, who can finally stand comfortably at the helm of the
party.
Saturday’s triple victory plus the party’s stellar
performance in last month’s three-in-one elections has
washed away any doubts about her leadership and vision, they
said, adding that the DPP’s chances in the year-end special
municipality elections also appear brighter, especially if
Tsai decides to run.
E-mail: