Tsai: I may not have much experience in elections, but it is also an issue whether those who do have experience are relevant to winning next year’s elections.
Over the years, we have come to realize one thing: To win an election, the image of the party and public trust in the party are important. The party’s recent election defeats have borne out this theory.
The main tasks of the party leader are to reclaim public trust in the party and to reshape the party’s image.
As for mapping campaign strategies and mobilizing supporters, the party has many experts in these areas and it is important to put the right people in the right place. It is equally important that the party is united and determined to win the elections.
That is why I have formed an election strategy task force. The convener is very experienced and he will work with his team members, who are seasoned strategists, to map out campaign strategies and implement them.
TT: You mentioned the importance of party image and party unity, but it is also true that the DPP has very weak connections with grassroots supporters.
Tsai: That is correct. That’s because we are a younger party, compared with the KMT, and we are not like the KMT, which has spent 50 or 60 years developing its relationship with grassroots supporters.
The rise of the DPP came from public identification with our ideals and not the party’s close relationship with the public on a local level. A party like that can be easily defeated if its image is tarnished and people lose their confidence. That’s also why the DPP has risen so fast and fallen as swiftly.
To expand our grassroots support, we will strengthen our services and rationally communicate our ideals to the public. As for funding their activities or bus tours or giving red envelopes on special occasions, it’s not because we are reluctant but because we don’t have many resources to do so.
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