The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should nominate more candidates for the elections of village heads and borough chiefs next June so that the party can enhance its connection with grassroots supporters and improve its understanding of people's needs.
This was the message of DPP chairpersonship candidate Yu Shyi-kun as he unveiled his campaign platform yesterday.
Yu, who resigned from his position as secretary-general of the Presidential Office to run for the DPP chairmanship, said one of the important factors that led to the party's disappointing performance in the Dec. 3 local elections was that it did not have strong bonds with voters at the grassroots.
The results of the past few elections, both nationwide and local, show that that the structure of votes cast in favor of the DPP resembles an "inverted triangle," as the party had fewer nominations in smaller elections, which resulted in fewer victories, Yu said.
"With this structure, the DPP's bad performance in the local elections seemed predictable," Yu said.
"Therefore, I propose that the DPP should make a concerted effort in the elections of village heads and borough chiefs, and should increase nominations for these positions," he said.
Yu said he disagreed with claims from some DPP members that the party's poor performance had been the result of three elections being held at once.
Combining elections to reduce costs is part of the necessary reform process, he said.
The Dec. 3 elections were held to appoint new city mayors and county commissioners, city mayors and township heads. The elections of village heads and borough chiefs will also be held on the same day next year.
Although many people support the DPP at a local level, it does not have sufficient "elite" representatives to consolidate local bonds, which is a problem that the party will have to deal with, Yu said.
He said that the party should target younger people and women for recruitment.
With the advent of the single-member district, two-vote legislative system, the importance of village heads and borough chiefs can only increase, and the DPP cannot avoid the fact that it has not really cultivated local connections, Yu said.
"We cannot expect large-scale campaign rallies to work as they did before," he added.
Meanwhile, another candidate for the chairmanship, DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), yesterday released a campaign package in which he proclaimed his intention to make Taiwan a leader in the international community and to highlight the importance of national integrity if he is elected.
Chai's campaign brochure includes a personal statement, a letter to all DPP members and a VCD introducing his political experience and background.
Chai said that he will send the brochure to about 245,000 local members and 1,200 abroad.
Hopefully the package will give people a better understanding of him, Chai said.
"I will evoke people's passion for democracy and restore members' faith in the DPP. The DPP can't afford to fail again. If we lose again, we lose everything," Chai said.
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