Saturday's polls crucial for future of the nation

The "three-in-one" local government elections will soon be upon us, and with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reeling from recent scandals, and trouble stirred up by the press and unscrupulous opposition politicians, things are getting tense. Some pan-green supporters and swing voters don't consider these elections to be important. This, together with voter apathy induced by the government's poor record and disillusionment over recent scandals, means DPP voters are more likely to stay away from the polls to punish the party.

This is dangerous. If the DPP does badly in these polls we could see the collapse of democracy and freedom in Taiwan. This is not mere scare-mongering.

First, in this election the Taiwanese are up against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) agreed to join forces with the CCP in order to suppress Taiwanese independence, he was effectively joining ranks with the bandits and hooligans working against Taiwan.

But how exactly are they going to achieve this? Through elections. If the pan-blues win, they will be in a better position to help the CCP control Taiwan through legal means. From what we have seen of the oppressive and callous way Beijing treats its own people, there is little doubt that this will only lead to the loss of Taiwan's democracy and freedom.

Second, some believe that things have changed now that Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has taken over the reins of the KMT from Lien. However, since Ma took over as KMT chairman, we have yet to see any of the promised reforms, nor has he taken a stand against Beijing. The special arms procurement bill has still not been passed, the national flag is not allowed at international competitions and the Mainland Affairs Council has been forced to follow more pro-China policies and had its budget slashed. These all show where Ma's loyalties lie.

Third, despite the seeming lack of importance of these elections, the central government needs the support of local governments, especially when it is facing an opposition which has a majority in the legislature. If local governments come under the control of the pro-China factions, it will spell disaster for the pan-green camp in the next legislative and presidential elections.

Fourth, the CCP's tentacles are already finding their way into grassroots Taiwanese society. They invited many county and city councilors to China to discuss imports of Taiwanese agricultural products, only to allegedly offer them bribes. This is just one example.

At the moment the pan-blues are pulling out all the stops to do well in these elections, creating scandals and inciting rumors. Rumors of homosexuality among party members have been used to court sympathy, Lee Teng-hui was hit with a NT$10 million (US$298,000) fine for defamation, and a raid of a private residence seized VCDs critical of the KMT and brought the maker in for questioning.

Trying quash the voice of anyone who doesn't happen to agree with you smacks of the CCP. It is known as "white terror." Do you see those individuals making noises about "green terror" being dragged in for questioning by the DPP? If they are given even the slightest amount of power on the local government level they will do everything they can not only to reinstate the KMT as lords of the party-state system, but to work with Beijing to bring a new era of "red terror" to Taiwan.

I would suggest that Taiwan's voters, irrespective of whether they support the pan-green or pan-blue camp, think carefully about whether they want this.

Paul Lin is a commentator based in New York.

Translated by Paul Cooper