With fewer than 100 days to go before next March's presidential election, the drive for votes has begun to warp the two contenders' campaign platforms.
A campaign ad for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) this week featured the national anthem -- which is much maligned by pro-independence diehards for its many references to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Then on Tuesday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Political observer Chiu Hei-yuan (瞿海源), a sociology professor at National Taiwan University, said these moves were aimed at attracting support from neutral voters.
"At least that's how it appears on the surface," Chiu said. "All this still needs further observation."
Saying that the so-called neutral voters are not people without political ideas, Chiu added that campaign commercials or statements by politicians were unlikely to sway neutral voters.
Nevertheless, Chiu said that Wang's rhetoric appeared to attract more attention from neutral voters than the DPP's controversial television commercial.
"After all, it all seems too abrupt to, all of sudden, associate the national flag and national anthem with the DPP," Chiu said.
The commercial -- which featured the national flag and photos of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) along with text highlighting Chen's achievements during the past four years -- drew mixed reactions from within the pan-green camp, with some appearing upset and others supporting the commercial for achieving its purpose of generating public interest and discussion.
Wu Nai-jen (
The commercial was broadcast on major cable TV channels from Friday until yesterday.
While admitting that Wang's rhetoric did include an element of electioneering aimed at neutral voters, Chiu said, "Wang's statement was largely his own reflection after a long time observing the political situation."
"Wang is a seasoned politician; he knows what he is talking about," Chiu said. "More than appearing to woo neutral voters' support, Wang said what he said mainly to tone down his image as being pro-unification."
Wang, regarded by many pan-blue members as a key representative of the KMT's pro-localization faction, said he had not consulted with Lien before making the controversial comment.
Both KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"The rhetoric would carry more weight and have a greater effect on neutral voters if both Lien and Soong came out to openly endorse it," Chiu said.
Insisting that localization had become the mainstream, DPP Legislator Hung Chi-chang (洪奇昌) said: "It's good to know that the pan-blue camp has come to recognize it and is moving in such a direction."
Wang said that flexibility in policy concerning China would help the alliance win support and that his statement had so far received positive feedback from members of the pan-blue camp's campaign team.
"If [Wang's] statement can be better articulated in a more comprehensive way, it would not shake pan-blue grassroots' support but may draw some of those neutral voters toward the pan-blue camp," said KMT Legislator Wu Den-yi (
Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Jung-wei (
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