“Winning and losing are common outcomes on battlefields; as such, there is no cause for real concern.” So goes a saying from the Chinese classic, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三國演義), which has become an adage encouraging people not to lose heart in the face of defeat.
The same applies to elections. While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has largely been described as bruised and battered after losing both the presidency and its legislative majority in January’s elections, the truth is that electoral victories and defeats are common in a democracy and there is no reason for the party to become disheartened.
The KMT still stands a good chance at wooing back voters and winning the next elections, as long as it pulls itself together and realigns its policies with the values of transparency, justice and human rights, as well as the public’s growing sense of Taiwanese consciousness.
Regrettably, the party has not only disappointed its supporters with poor electoral results, it is setting out to disappoint the public as a whole by seemingly engaging in a twisted mindset: “Now that we have lost power, we might as well give up on Taiwan and let it rot.”
Following his shameless behavior last month — exploiting self-styled citizen reporter Hung Su-chu’s (洪素珠) use of hateful language against veterans for political gain by directing the party’s local chapters to “launch across-the-board political wrangles” — KMT Central Policy Committee Director Alex Tsai (蔡正元) is again showing just how much the KMT’s top echelons lack the ability to empathize with Taiwanese.
To help with Taitung County’s reconstruction and disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Nepartak, Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) — as well as other politicians, including Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) — pledged to donate one month’s salary to Taitung, which was hit hardest by the typhoon on Friday last week.
However, rather than join relief efforts, Tsai was quick to pour out useless comments, saying Lai’s move was merely political and that Lai should be “ashamed” if he donates less to Taitung than he did to Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture after an earthquake in April.
In case Tsai needs a reminder, donations are not about money; it is the thought that matters. At a time when people are facing difficulty in the wake of destruction and enthusiastic compatriots are pouring in aid and relief, it is utterly regrettable that a top-ranking KMT official appears to only be interested in picking a fight.
Tsai’s acrimonious remarks are indicative of the KMT’s top echelons’ inability to solve problems, or worse, their apathy.
There was also a report that KMT Secretary-General Mo Tien-hu (莫天虎) allegedly kept hundreds of workers waiting for nothing at a post-typhoon event for reconstruction workers in Taitung City on Sunday.
The KMT should keep in mind that losing an election is not shameful, but it is disappointing to lose the public’s hearts. A good political party, regardless of whether it is in power, should have the best interests of the public at its core, heed people’s grievances and be responsive to their needs and expectations.
Hopefully the KMT can demonstrate a level of graciousness and class befitting a political party with so much history, rather than wishing others ill simply because it is miserable; or is that too much to expect from the KMT?
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