Given their discontent with the DPP's softening of its China policy, some supporters of Taiwanese independence may shift their support to the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), according to political analysts.
The analysts said the TSU has presented an alternative for pro-independence supporters that are upset with DPP policies they perceive as moving closer toward the "one China" principle.
"Some DPP supporters, especially those that advocate Taiwan's independence have been upset by the government's kowtowing to China. Under the current political situation, the TSU, with its emphasis on the localization path, appears to be the best choice [for these voters]," said political commentator Lee Yung-chih (李永熾), professor of history at National Taiwan University.
According to Lee, incidents such as the DPP's compromise on its claim of Taiwan being an independent sovereign state, the relaxation of the "no haste, be patient" investment policy toward China and moves to establish direct links have incensed the pro-independence camp.
To woo support from neutral voters, the DPP recently took a giant step away from the party's "1999 resolution regarding Taiwan's future" (
But the shift in the DPP's China policy has pushed a portion of the party's supporters to the TSU, with a number of its high-profile pro-independence campaigners making an appearance at a gathering for the National Association of the friends of Lee Teng-hui (
At the event, the pro-independence activists lauded former president Lee -- the spiritual leader of the TSU -- and said "he was unjustly blamed" during his 12 years in power.
Ng Chiautong (黃昭堂), chairman of the World United Formosans for Independence, said that Lee's endorsement of the TSU will attract approximately 30 percent of the pro-independence vote.
"Although Lee is not a member of the TSU, the two are closely connected. If pro-independence advocates throw their support behind Lee, their voting for the TSU is a reasonable shift," Ng said.
Chen I-shen (陳儀深), a scholar at Academia Sinica and spokesman for the Northern Taiwan Society, shared the viewpoints of Lee Yung-chih.
Chen said that pro-independence associations such as the Taiwan Association of University Professors (
"Besides, some DPP supporters probably won't feel guilty about casting their votes for the TSU since from the very beginning Lee Teng-hui has made clear that his support of the TSU aims to help stabilize the DPP administration," he added.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique