As a result of two former government officials pledging to throw their weight behind independent presidential candidate James Soong (
However, critics said the exodus toward Soong's camp was more symbolic than a substantive indication of a change of support.
Soong's campaign manager, Wu Rong-ming (
"The participation by Liu and Liao, in their capacity as former legislative speaker and minister respectively, have not only boosted our morale, but also helped us to further demonstrate our momentum," Wu said.
According to the latest poll released by the TVBS cable network, Soong's popularity rating has moved from 25 percent to 29 percent, while the DPP's candidate, Chen Shui-bian (
Critics, meanwhile, said recent developments can be looked at on two different levels.
"Both Liu and Liao have connections with local factions. And while Liu is seen as the `godfather of the red faction' in Taichung County and holds an impressive mobilization ability among farmer's associations, the Liao family is also associated with the powerful Lin faction in Chiayi County," said Wang Yeh-lih (
Nevertheless, Wang added: "Despite their channels to local factions, on the national campaign battlefield, their influence will be limited."
Liu is the most senior figure in the legislature, having been elected nine times and serving as the first native Taiwanese legislative speaker.
Liao became popular as justice minister Liao and was touted as a "hero for cracking down on organized crime."
Wang pointed out that Soong's camp has paid more attention to Liu and Liao's symbolic value rather than to their ability to secure factional voters.
"Liao's reform-minded appearance could help to repair Soong's tarnished image after the revelation of the money scandal last December," Wang said.
But DPP New Wave faction leader Wu Nan-jen (
"Judging from their deep affiliations with the KMT, I believe that KMT could easily gather evidence to challenge their credit," Wu said.
Moreover, Wu said Soong's weakness lies in the fact that he may have already maximized his support base.
"Most of Soong's backers are active voters, who are willing to express their pro-Soong tendency. Compared to Soong's rivals, no matter whether Chen or Lien, Soong's space [to expand support] is narrow,'' Wu said.
Other critics disagreed.
"Ever since the exposure of the irregular financial dealings surrounding Soong's family, based on my own experience, part of Soong's supporters have been inclined to conceal their preference for Soong, probably to avoid harassment," Wang said.
Under such circumstances, Wang said, "I would prefer not to underestimate Soong's mobilization power."
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting
RSS