Taiwan's newest political party, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) officially came into being on Sunday. This new party gives a home to voters who belong to the "localized" camp in terms of cross-strait issues, yet are more moderately conservative in terms of other political, economic and domestic issues.
The founding of the TSU pinpoints a unique characteristic of voters in Taiwan. Voters in other countries such as the US fall within a spectrum that is increasingly liberal on the left and increasingly conservative on the right on all issues. However, voters here are additionally divided across the spectrum of another issue -- cross-strait relations. On the right of this spectrum are those who support unification with China, while on left are those who support Taiwan's sovereignty. The latter is often referred to as the "localized" camp.
The existence of this phenomenon partly explains why the DPP has only been able to win over approximately 30 percent -- and no more than 40 percent -- of voters, although about 80 percent of voters belong to the "localized" camp. Putting aside the issue of cross-strait relations, the truth of the matter is the DPP is at the very least moderately liberal on all other issues. Yet the remaining voters in the localized camp are moderate conservatives. They are more conservative than the DPP on a wide range of issues, including nuclear energy and work hours.
During the last presidential election, some of these voters cast their ballots for President Chen Shui-bian (
Under the leadership of former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee is hailed by the TSU as its spiritual leader. His attendance and speech at Sunday's founding ceremony indicate that the objective of the TSU is to take over the former position of the KMT, when that party was under Lee's leadership, and speak on the behalf of members of the localized camp who are moderate conservatives.
Some have doubted the ability of Lee's personal appeal to win votes for the TSU. Others have scornfully said that the new party is nothing but another "Taiwan independence" party. However, Lee has a lot more than just personal appeal. He stands for many important values and policies. As the TSU has vowed to follow Lee's path, the party has much to offer to voters, in addition to an important "Taiwan first" platform.
In the past few weeks, DPP members have repeatedly voiced concerns about the political threat posed to them by the TSU. Such concerns are not only unnecessary but undignified. The TSU should be able to sufficiently distinguish itself from the DPP. It is the KMT that will find it difficult to get a good night's sleep between now and the December elections.
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