Amid claims that the DPP is losing grassroots support, political observers urged the party to demonstrate its resolve in accomplishing reform instead of focusing on election campaigns.
"No matter how much support President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the government's leaders give DPP candidates, it is obvious that traditional supporters are not interested in the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral election," said Taipei Society Chairman Ku Chung-hwa (顧忠華).
"The reason is not because the candidates are not good enough but because people have lost their trust in the party," Ku said.
He said that Taiwan has only experienced one power transition in its history and it is difficult to discern whether the so-called "mid-term election" effect, which traditionally causes the ruling party to lose ground, may appear in the mayoral and council elections.
"Actually, President Chen blamed the opposition parties for being bad losers after the 2000 presidential election and attributed the government's ineffectiveness to the opposition alliance's boycott in the Legislative Yuan," Ku said.
"The president's strategy has helped the DPP to beat the KMT and become the biggest party in the parliament," Ku said.
The public has rode roughshod over the mid-term election rule and given the ruling party another opportunity to make good on its reform promises, he said, but, one year on, with no visible achievements in reform policies, neither the DPP nor President Chen have any excuse.
"The downhill trend of DPP support in recent polls proves that the public has no interests in election campaigns," said Ku. "They are waiting for the policies to improve their lives."
Hu Wen-hui (
"Such a policy is not reasonable because the elections will only allow about 4 millions people to vote, leaving the other 19 million Taiwanese to watch from the wings," Hu said.
He said that according to the Constitution, the opposition parties can only launch a confidence vote at the Legislative Yuan against the premier, something the opposition alliance dare not attempt because of the lack of lawmaker support.
"However, the government's setbacks, including the reorganization of the grassroots financial system, severely damaged the DPP's reform credentials and allowed the opposition to play on the public's dissatisfaction," he added.
"The public indifference toward the election is because people feel helpless after witnessing government incompetence and opposition party irrationality," he said.
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