One would think Kaohsiung politicians — and politicians in general — would not want to risk upsetting an entire district of voters right before an election, but this is a risk some of them appear willing to take.
For the past month, constant political rallies have been taking place in the city’s Gushan District (鼓山) near the intersection of Mingcheng and Bo-ai roads. Booming voices on microphones, crashing cymbals and pounding drums echo through an important voting district (and the noise carries to other districts as well).
These phenomena are not limited to one party or even one city, but the fact that these events take place at a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) events center is as disillusioning as it is ridiculous.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) and the rest of the DPP candidates should be more concerned about alienating swing voters in the area who may still have been asleep or relaxing at 9am on Sunday than trying to rally their base. Although loud noises fire up the faithful, they upset those who really matter — those who may or may not vote for you, Chen and company, and are watching (and, as the case may be, listening).
Why are such demonstrations ridiculous? First, most people work five or six days a week and Sunday may be the only day they can relax and enjoy a little peace and quiet with their families. Beyond this (and as I don’t follow city council elections as closely as I follow mayoral elections, please forgive me if I’m jumping to conclusions), the main concern in this election is what will happen between Chen and her challenger, Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興); Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) doesn’t really stand a snowball’s chance.
Chen and her DPP supporters would be better off not upsetting the swing voters in this district (and other districts). The DPP base, understandably unhappy with former DPP member Yang’s challenge to Chen, won’t be of much more help to Chen. It is the swing voters, resting and enjoying their Sunday mornings and not attending the noisy rallies, complete with fireworks at 9:30am, who will turn the tide. Several former Chen supporters I know who live in the surrounding areas have said explicitly that if this noise every night (and now also on Sunday mornings, evidently) keeps up, they may just stay at home or work on Nov. 27 and not vote for Chen and the DPP. This situation, if true, makes political rallies dangerous for political parties and candidates in Taiwan.
The DPP should do more quiet door-to-door work in crucial areas and try to win over undecided voters. This would turn the tide in the party’s favor toward Chen.
The DPP should leave the noise, pomp and pretense to the KMT.
Nathan Novak studies China and the Asia-Pacific region with a particular focus on cross-strait relations at National Sun Yat-sen University.
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