As the date gets closer, all the peculiarities of Taiwanese elections become more evident. Having been in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan during their election years, here are some of my personal observations, thoughts and feelings about the process of democratic election in Taiwan.
Battle of the Colors.
Because of its historical background, there are 2 major parties in Taiwan: the blues (the KMT) and the greens (the DPP), with a 3rd smaller party - the oranges (the PFP). Each party has its own die-hard supporters, especially among the elders and rural folks. Urban areas tend to be blue, while rural areas tend to be green.. The blues dominates northern parts of the island, while the greens monopolizes central and southern parts. Supporters of the oranges tend to support its candidates rather than the party itself.
Us vs Them.
Till this day, there is still a sense of "Us" vs "Them" among Taiwanese. 外省人 means those who followed Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek over from China in 1949 and settled down in the island, while those who was here (for many generations) referred themselves as 本省人. The former usually can't speak Taiwanese and tend to identify with the blues, while the latter tend to support the greens. The blues is more willing to work with China and is open to the possibilities of re-unification, while the greens wants "true" independence. Big companies and rich businessmen tends to support the blues, while the green tends to be on the side of the workers and farmers. Yet in this time and space, in my opinion, there is no other feasible solution than to maintain status quo.
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| I'm no supporter of either e blues or e greens, but I've found this leaflet in my mailbox a few days ago.. |
As long as they can pay for it, candidates can buy advertisement slots in all types of media, be it televisions, radios, newspapers or the internet. Everyday, candidates would go around visiting their areas, shaking hands and asking for support from their constituents. Some would even have vans with loud-speakers going around the areas frequently asking for support. Here, they have very strict anti-bribery laws thus candidates can't give gifts worth more than a specific amount to their constituencies and donations received must be invoiced if exceeding a specific amount. Everyone is scrutinizing everyone closely, so no one dares to partake in any "under-table" dealings.
Media Freedom.
There is freedom of press in Taiwan, but no impartiality. Journalists are free to use their tools of trade to say their piece and argue their case. These media companies are not neutral or impartial, in my opinion, and they tend to be either blue or green. Every night, TV stations have their own talk shows, engaging a wide panel of "guest speakers" to criticize/comment. No one is safe from being attacked (verbally, that is) in these talk shows. Newspaper headlines, editorials and articles all hinted at their color allegiance. This is good, in a way, as all political parties, including the government has to be on its toes as no one will close one eye and cut it some slack.
Unusual Analysis.
Other than the usual scrutiny (of the candidates' political agenda, policies, past results, etc), this being Taiwan, there is no lacking of alternative type of analysis. Many "experts" are consulted, from fengshui masters to tarot card gurus, as people are curious to see if they could provide special insights to the candidates. Some self-proclaimed "insiders" may even disclose "special" rituals that the candidates had (allegedly) performed or powerful talisman that they had (allegedly) lay out in their house/office in order to gain an upper hand against their opponents. Even the tombs of the candidates' ancestors is put under the microscope for any possible providence of winning the election. I won't comment on their validity but all these analysis sure make entertaining past times.
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| The back of e same leaflet.. |
Live TV Debate.
The 3 presidential candidates appeared on TV together in 3 different dates to present and defend their policies and political stand. Even the vice-presidential candidates had live tv debates on 2 separate occasions. Some are very articulate, while some just sounded weird. Some came across as arrogant, while some seemed sincere enough. Regardless of how they performed, the most important thing was that the candidates were given equal time on TV to campaign, which remains both unattainable and unimaginable in my country.
Volunteer Voting.
Unlike in Singapore where voting is compulsory, Taiwanese, above 20 years old, is free to decide if they wanna vote or not. Yet Taiwanese are (very) passionate about election, in general. Thus it is no surprise that the voter turnout was consistently above 75% for the past 4 elections. This intensity of political participation is very refreshing when I compared it to the political apathy in Malaysia, Singapore and Japan, although dramatic changes have also occurred in these countries these past years.
Not too sure if my area is blue or green, but it seems like the greens are more aggressive in canvassing for votes as I heard loud broadcast from the greens' van coming from the main road almost every other day, while I've yet to hear any from the blues. Same goes with billboards and posters. And yesterday, on the rare occasion that I went out for grocery, I saw both the VP and the MP candidates of the greens on a van, campaigning!
Anyway, these are just my perceptions and observations, and by no means are they 100% correct or unbiased. From what I've gathered from all different channels, the outcome of this election is gonna be very close. Rest assured that I will be one of the thousands glued in front of the television, waiting for the announcement of the 13th President of R.O.C.
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