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LETTERS: Open letter to the DPP

So your candidates Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) lost the presidential election by a 17 percent margin. But this is no time for finger pointing, for no single person had enough influence to convince 17 percent of voters not to vote for Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Vincent Siew (蕭萬長). A loss by such a margin means that the party has deeper issues. Pick yourself up, learn from the mistakes and focus on winning the next election.

The independence issue is secondary. Clearly, voters have shown that their main concern was the economy, not the independence issue. You already have a voter base that is pro-independence and wary of Chinese aggression. You know you have their votes. But a troubled economy affects people's abilities to find work and feed families, and if Mr Huang cannot earn a decent living to support himself and his family, then he could not care less about what's happening across the Strait.

If a new college graduate cannot find a job, he is more worried about paying rent than ensuring Taiwanese independence. You may call that near-sightedness, but to the voters it's their reality. You need to protect the interests of the nation in the long term, but address the needs of the citizens in the present. Your need to present sound economic policies rather than simply being known as the party that advocates independence.

And don't neglect female voters. The results in southern, traditionally Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) strongholds were less than impressive. The DPP's wins in the south were marginal, but losses in Chiayi City, Tainan City and Kaohsiung City were of devastating significance. Demographic data from the Central Election Committee shows that in those three cities there were more female than male voters.

For a number of reasons, Ma has always been a favorite of female voters. But the DPP nevertheless failed in its attempt to sway women voters early on in the campaign, and that error was costly.

You should also have sought major endorsements earlier. Just a few days before the election, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) finally publicly endorsed Hsieh. This was a strong endorsement, but the timing was poor.

Lastly, many overseas voters tend to return to cast their votes. This presents a problem with polling and even campaigning. This situation should not be overlooked and future campaigns should entail attracting these overseas voters. The Internet now makes it possible to reach overseas voters in ways that were unimaginable 10 years ago and the DPP should tap into such technological developments.

Although you lost, you should still be proud of your achievements. You ruled Taiwan for eight years and Taiwanese continue to live in peaceful, democratic harmony. This is in stark contrast with the recent unrest in China and no matter who is elected president, I am sure all Taiwanese wish the same peace and freedom to our Chinese neighbors.

Eugene Liu

Atlanta, Georgia
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