Ko Wen-je: The dark horse who has shaken up Taiwan's politics - BBC.com | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Politics

Ko Wen-je: The dark horse who has shaken up Taiwan's politics – BBC.com

Published

10 months ago

 on



By Tessa WongBBC News, Taipei

Getty Images
Ko Wen-je is the leader of fledging Taiwan People’s Party

As the dust settles from the fiercely fought Taiwan presidential election won by William Lai, another unlikely winner has emerged.

On Saturday, more than a quarter of Taiwan’s voters, including many young people, chose maverick politician Ko Wen-je in the presidential poll.

And in the legislature elections, his fledgling Taiwan’s People Party (TPP) won eight seats which could wield power in a parliament where no-one has won the majority.

While the TPP’s gains are modest and Mr Ko himself came in last, observers say he has irrevocably altered Taiwan’s political landscape – long dominated by two parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and Mr Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

“It’s now no longer a two horse race, it’s a three horse race,” said Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist and non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.

Though Mr Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, is a seasoned politician, this was his first stab at the presidency.

He campaigned on a platform of “taking down the blue and green” – blue is the KMT’s colour and green is the DPP’s – while positioning himself as the middle option on issues such as cross-strait relations.

Since 2016 there have been other outlier parties that have made headway in polls.

But the TPP’s performance is the clearest sign yet of voters demanding a more pluralistic political landscape, say observers, and it is driven by passionate young Taiwanese.

Many youths were visibly upset at Saturday’s result, with some even alleging electoral fraud online.

Part of the attraction was Mr Ko himself, a straight-talking politician who could break out into the occasional rap. Young people found him quirky and endearing, though he has also been criticised for comments perceived as sexist and homophobic.

But young voters are also impatient with a political system that has yet to solve longstanding economic issues such as low wages and costly housing that have hit younger generations disproportionately hard.

Young people are disgruntled with economic issues such as low wages and the lack of affordable housing

They have only ever known a Taiwan which has regularly alternated between the DPP and the KMT since 2000, although Mr Lai’s win has shattered this cycle.

“The era of the DPP and the KMT has been ended by a new party. It’s time for a younger generation to arise, and the TPP seems fresher to me,” Mr Huang, a 28-year-old soldier, told the BBC.

This demand for more alternatives “is not so high that it would shatter the political system, but it pushes the other parties to see how they can appeal to a broader electorate,” said Lev Nachman, a political scientist with the National Chengchi University.

But it also gives the TPP an advantage that could propel it further and turn it into “the second political power” in Taiwan, said Mr Sung. Mr Ko’s vote share was only seven percentage points lower than that of the KMT’s candidate Hou Yu-ih.

But that’s only if it plays its cards right.

“The TPP has strong support, but the question is can it be sustained?” said Ian Chong, a non-resident fellow with Carnegie China. “This would depend on how it strengthens its teams on the ground as well as its performance in the legislature and the values, policies and ideals it proposes.”

Currently the TPP’s support capitalises on voter unhappiness while leaning heavily on Mr Ko, he noted.

“Personalities are important for a social movement. But you also need to sustain it beyond that, and continually attract supporters with your ideas.”

“I think Ko after this has to cultivate the party more,” said TPP supporter Harrison Wu. “He also knows this is a one-man party, he has to develop successors – after all he is 64 years old already.”

Getty Images
Some young people were seen sobbing at Mr Ko’s election night rally

On Saturday night after he conceded to Mr Lai, Mr Ko acknowledged the long road ahead while signalling he was here to stay.

“I’m asking you all to not give up, because I won’t give up, the TPP won’t give up,” he told his supporters, some of whom were sobbing. “Tonight, I know you are all very sad. But we actually don’t have time to be sad.

“If we diligently continue, in the next four years I believe we will win even more recognition, and gather even more power. Next time we will govern, and definitely win back this country.”

“We have already created a lot of miracles.”

Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved.  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Beta Terms By using the Beta Site, you agree that such use is at your own risk and you know that the Beta Site may include known or unknown bugs or errors, that we have no obligation to make this Beta Site available with or without charge for any period of time, nor to make it available at all, and that nothing in these Beta Terms or your use of the Beta Site creates any employment relationship between you and us. The Beta Site is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and we make no warranty to you of any kind, express or implied.

In case of conflict between these Beta Terms and the BBC Terms of Use these Beta Terms shall prevail.

Adblock test (Why?)



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Politics

RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says

Published

20 hours ago

 on

November 4, 2024

By

 

PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S​. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.

Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”

Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”

The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.

In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.

Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.

In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.

In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.

Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.

But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.

“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

Published

20 hours ago

 on

November 4, 2024

By

Danielle Smith receives overwhelming support at United Conservative Party convention

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

America’s Election: What it Means to Canadians

Published

3 days ago

 on

November 2, 2024

By

Americans and Canadians are cousins that is true. Allies today but long ago people were at loggerheads mostly because of the British Empire and American ambitions.

Canadians appreciate our cousins down south enough to visit them many millions of times over the year. America is Canada’s largest and most important trading partner. As a manufacturer, I can attest to this personally. My American clients have allowed our firm to grow and prosper over the past few decades. There is a problem we have been seeing, a problem where nationalism, both political and economic has been creating a roadblock to our trade relationship.

Both Democrats and Republicans have shown a willingness to play the “buy only American Made product” card, a sounding board for all things isolationist, nationalistic and small-mindedness. We all live on this small planet, and purchase items made from all over the world. Preferences as to what to buy and where it is made are personal choices, never should they become a platform of national pride and thuggery. This has brought fear into the hearts of many Canadians who manufacture for and service the American Economy in some way. This fear will be apparent when the election is over next week.

Canadians are not enemies of America, but allies and friends with a long tradition of supporting our cousins back when bad sh*t happens. We have had enough of the American claim that they want free trade, only to realize that they do so long as it is to their benefit. Tariffs, and undue regulations applied to exporters into America are applied, yet American industry complains when other nations do the very same to them. Seriously! Democrats have said they would place a preference upon doing business with American firms before foreign ones, and Republicans wish to tariff many foreign nations into oblivion. Rhetoric perhaps, but we need to take these threats seriously. As to you the repercussions that will come should America close its doors to us.

Tit for tat neighbors. Tariff for tariff, true selfish competition with no fear of the American Giant. Do you want to build homes in America? Over 33% of all wood comes from Canada. Tit for tat. Canada’s mineral wealth can be sold to others and place preference upon the highest bidder always. You know who will win there don’t you America, the deep-pocketed Chinese.

Reshaping our alliances with others. If America responds as has been threatened, Canadians will find ways to entertain themselves elsewhere. Imagine no Canadian dollars flowing into the Northern States, Florida or California? The Big Apple without its friendly Maple Syrup dip. Canadians will realize just how significant their spending is to America and use it to our benefit, not theirs.

Clearly we will know if you prefer Canadian friendship to Donald Trumps Bravado.

China, Saudi Arabia & Russia are not your friends in America. Canada, Japan, Taiwan the EU and many other nations most definitely are. Stop playing politics, and carry out business in an unethical fashion. Treat allies as they should be treated.

Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
skaszab@yahoo.ca

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version