Taiwan Does Democracy

The American election campaigns are out of control. One candidate says another is less qualified, and then the other candidate claims to have better judgment. Meanwhile, a third candidate alleges to be even better than the other two! This style of “negative campaigning” is ice cream compared to the shit being thrown in Taiwan, let me tell you.

Taiwan will have its fourth ever democratic elections on Saturday. The first election in 1996 featured Chinese missile tests in the Taiwan Strait, and the last election in 2004 was so negative that the current president and vice president were shot while campaigning the day before the vote.

The tension comes from some major party differences. The two main parties are the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) and the KMT (Kuomintang). The DPP is currently in power, and has been pushing for Taiwan’s entry into the UN for years. Then there’s the KMT, which is a Chinese nationalist party that previously ruled Taiwan under martial law. The KMT agrees that Taiwan should join the UN, but under the name Republic of China. Some people think China won’t attack Taiwan if Taiwan elects the semi-loyal KMT, but most people think China won’t act anyway, unless Taiwan declares independence, or gets into the UN. By the way, coinciding with the election this year are two UN referendums on Taiwan’s request for membership – one as Taiwan, and one as Republic of China.

Just like in the United States, slanderous remarks may lead to resignations. A couple days ago, a DPP member resigned over his criticism of the KMT’s candidate’s father. The man admitted that his public criticism turned into a personal attack when he insinuated that Ma Ying-jeou’s father slept with prostitutes and even “screwed” his adopted daughter. He never said his statement was false, but he did resign.

The candidates have also called daughters drug addicts, and wives whores. No, Taiwanese politicians are not known for holding back punches (see Rick Mercer’s Best Taiwanese Parliament Fights of All Time for this reference).

The DPP’s presidential candidate, Frank Hsieh, is putting his candidacy on the line over his attacks on Ma. Only five days before the election, Hsieh said he would drop out of the presidential race if his rival could prove that he does not hold permanent residency in the United States. Ma admits he held permanent residency, but claims he gave it up in the early ‘90s, and never applied for a green card. The strangest thing is that instead of proving Hsieh wrong, and forcing him to resign as party leader, Ma is suing the DPP. The issue may not be resolved by election time, which is too bad. It’s kind of important to know if a man who wants closer ties with China can hide in the States if the shit hits the fan.

But this election is not all about drama and barroom style brawls. There are also overly corny moments. Candidates from all sides pose with big smiles, giving the thumbs up on their posters. I have also seen the old back-to-back pose, and the bent-arm handshake pose. These cheesy pictures are on buses, on buildings, and on flags that line the streets. Did I mention that they are often dressed “casually” in the pictures, maybe even in track suits? It gets lamer. On Sunday, the DPP organized a 1 million person high five to celebrate a supposed comeback. Rallies were held nationwide, and hundreds of thousands of people showed up wearing sideways baseball caps, ready to party. At the right moment, they all high fived each other. Oh god, my eyes can’t stop rolling!

As an outsider who has no idea what Taiwan really needs, I prefer the DPP. President Chen Shui-bian, and vice president Annette Lu, have histories of defending human rights in Taiwan. It was only 21 years ago that the KMT were plundering the island under martial law, so I just can’t like the KMT. However, the KMT will likely win, as they swept the legislative elections in January. Either way, Saturday is sure to be a gong show. I don’t know whether to take photos, or hide in a bomb shelter.