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Poll shows voters think DPP too close to big businesses

Many Taiwanese said that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) favors big business and has strayed from its core ideals since assuming power three years ago, a Chinese-language newspaper poll reported yesterday as the party celebrated its 17th anniversary.

The survey by the United Daily News, one of the nation's largest papers, said that 31 percent of those polled were unsatisfied with the way the party has governed. This was a big drop from the 51 percent who were satisfied with the party during its first month of rule, the paper said.

Yesterday's poll said that before the DPP became the ruling party, 47 percent of those polled thought that the party served the interests of workers and the underprivileged. But only 23 percent said they believe this now, the survey said.

The poll reported that before the party took office, 11 percent of those surveyed said that the party was biased toward big business. Now 43 percent said that the DPP favors large corporations the most, the survey said.

The survey's release follows two major protests in recent weeks staged by railway and telecom workers who oppose the government's plans to privatize their companies. The workers fear they'll lose their jobs, but the DPP has promised it would try to protect the workers' interests as the state-run firms are made profitable.

DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) defended the party, saying the government has cleaned up debt-ridden banks, and vowed to press ahead with reforms.

``We kept close contacts with business people because we needed to win their support of our reform bills,'' Lee told TVBS cable news.

The poll results will likely worry President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Several polls have reported that he is trailing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and his running mate, People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
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