Events such as the controversy over the 84-hour work fortnight and the halting and then resuming construction on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant have the potential to force debate on social issues that could ultimately benefit fringe parties.
The Greens see themselves as the most likely to receive a windfall from people's growing concerns over environmental problems. "People are beginning to feel very strongly about the state of the environment, and when they see the DPP's mishandling of [the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant] they may be drawn to our stance which is clear and unbending," said Lai Fen-lan (
Perhaps, says Wu. But the salient issues in the current elections remain the economy, fighting corruption and the issue of independence versus unification, which the small parties have neither the will nor the ability to tackle, he said.
So the fringe parties continue their struggle on the sidelines of mainstream politics with varying degrees of expectation of expanding their appeal and power.
"Of course we're not going to run the country. It's already been stolen from us. But at the minimum, we have make sure our voice is heard," Isaludao said last week as he jumped into his beat-up chauffered Daihatsu for a campaign meeting in Wulai, Taipei County.
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