The one-man band that is Lee Teng-hui (
At campaign stops from Kao-hsiung to Pingtung to Tainan, the former president sung the praises of the TSU and warned Taiwanese to be wary of parties that want to sidle up to Beijing.
The events drew tens of thou-sands of cheering supporters, giving the newly formed TSU a much-needed shot in the arm.
But Lee's popularity also showed just how the weak the TSU is without him.
Political watchers say that the new group -- just like the People First Party, led by the charismatic James Soong (
Star of the show
Despite the rain, thousands turned out for fund-raising dinners in Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Tainan Counties. At each event, more than 400 tables were needed to seat all of Lee's supporters.
The cult of personality has also been extended to a variety of products such as stationery with Lee's photos on them, which are being sold to raise campaign funds.
But Lee is more than just a fund-raiser, as he also possesses years of political wisdom which he imparts upon the 40 TSU legislative candidates under his tutelage.
"Even when Lee has just a few minutes free, he coaches the party's candidates one by one on how to talk in the campaign vernacular and formulate campaign strategy according to the individual constituency's needs," said Su Ching-chiang (
Analysts note Lee's body language on stage and his frequent use of Taiwanese slang to endear himself to the public. They say the former president has a knack for explaining complicated political and economic issues in simple terms, which goes a long way in winning the minds of grass-roots supporters.
When it comes to matters of substance rather than style, Lee wants to make it clear just exactly who he thinks is responsible for the nation's problems.
According to former DPP National Assembly delegate and TSU candidate, Yuan Chiu Kuo-chang (
Attacking opposition
But Lee has also made himself an issue in the year-end campaign by attacking the opposition parties.
"By lashing out at the opposition parties and government and accusing the media of ... deceiving the public, he makes himself the very focus of the campaign," said Cheng Cheng-yu (鄭正煜), a representative for the Southern Taiwan Society. "It is as though this was the presidential election."
Cheng also said that this weekend's events showed that the "Lee Teng-hui complex" -- the idea that Lee is infallible because he's the nation's first Taiwanese president -- lives on.
"In his 12 years in power, Lee Teng-hui oversaw Taiwan's democratic reforms in accordance with the mainstream public opinion," Cheng said. "He took advantage of the DPP to get rid of the mainland conservatives within the KMT, creating the so-called `Lee Teng-hui complex.'"
And it's this complex that Lee hopes will benefit his charges.
"The 40 candidates of the TSU are mostly unknown or without any political experience, but with the blessing of Lee Teng-hui these originally `marginal political forces' stand a chance of being elected," said Chen I-shen (
Chen said that the TSU probably chose southern Taiwan -- where the DPP is the strongest -- to maximize the impact of its first-ever campaign activity. "The TSU had to choose a geographical area where Lee receives the highest approval and where the opposition alliance of the KMT, PFP and New Party is most detested," Chen said.
"But by doing so, it's the DPP that is most affected."
Still, this weekend's campaign rallies drew a number DPP politicians, including Pingtung County Commissioner Su Chia-chuen (
The pair accompanied Lee along his tour of campaign stops. Su and Yang freely acknowledged that the publicity they gained by sharing the stage was Lee was more than they could ever have hoped to generate with events of their own.
Su conceded that it may be difficult for voters to differentiate the TSU from the DPP in the elections.
Cheng Cheng-yu, of the Southern Taiwan Society, agreed, saying TSU candidates must broaden their support base, otherwise they'll just wind up costing themselves and DPP candidates the election.
"The TSU cannot ask Mr Lee to fight for us on the frontlines on each and every occasion," Cheng said.
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