The highly anticipated Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) roster for legislator-at-large seats was released yesterday and three top party politicians were included at the fringe of the perceived “safe” zone.
The roster for January’s legislative elections was unanimously passed by a party committee yesterday. It strikes a careful balance between factions and features prominently supporters of DPP Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), including two of her former spokespeople.
Sixteen, or almost half of the 34 spots on the list are considered “safe,” according to recent media polls, and would constitute an increase of two seats from the 2008 election when the DPP took 14 spots, compared with 20 spots to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The legislator-at-large seats are given based on the proportion of the vote a party receives.
Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Tsai’s opponent in the DPP’s presidential primary, was listed at No. 18 , while former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) was No. 20. Another former premier, Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), was listed at No. 16.
Party officials said that the three were strategically placed just outside the “safe” zone is an attempt to mobilize their supporters, who maintain bases of support in New Taipei City (新北市) and Greater Kaohsiung, where Hsieh was the former mayor.
“All three were willing to place themselves at the fringes of the safe list in order to boost our share of the vote. Everyone in the DPP has confidence that our share of the party list will exceed half [of the allocated seats],” DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said when announcing the roster. “It shows we have ambition.”
Among the 34 candidates on the legislator-at-large roster, half of the spots were allocated to women, who received odd numbers, while all men were even numbered.
The DPP’s nominations inside the “safe” zone are divided into two broad groups: seasoned politicians, such as DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who has the No. 2 spot, and factional representatives; and community representatives, such as environmental and labor activists.
The No. 1 spot for the second year running went to Legislator Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如), an advocate for the disabled, while the third spot went to Cheng Shu-hwa (鄭素華), who is active in labor and union circles. The fifth spot went to Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇), an environmental activist.
Two of Tsai’s former spokespeople during her bid last year for New Taipei City (新北市) mayor, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君), were included at the No. 7 and No. 9 spots respectively. DPP spokesperson, Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) was No. 8.
“We had a lot of talent to choose from, but at the end of the day, we could only choose 34 to submit to the Central Election Commission,” Su Jia-chyuan said, seeking to preemptively address to questions from those not selected. “It was a hard pick and we had to make many difficult decisions.”
Rounding out the “safe” section of the list were former DPP secretary-general Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) at No. 4, Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) at No. 6, former DPP legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) at No. 10 and Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), an attorney and a long-time women’s rights advocate, at No. 11.
Su Tseng-chang supporter and former DPP legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) took the No. 12 spot, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) was No. 13, singer-turned-politician Yu Tian (余天) was No. 14 and DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) took the No. 15.
Yu Tian’s inclusion in the “safe” section of the list, despite earlier speculation that he would be dropped, comes after a last-minute appeal for his inclusion, which was published in several dailies yesterday and signed by 33 leading television entertainers.
The group, which included TV hosts Chang Fei (張菲) and Hu Gua (胡瓜), said Yu Tian represented Taiwan’s entertainment industries and that his inclusion would exemplify the DPP’s support for the sector.
The “safe” section of the list failed to include eight sitting legislators, including Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), a leader of the party’s “Gong Ma” faction of party elders, such as former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).
Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), the No. 3 pick in 2008, was placed at the end of the current roster, making his election all but impossible unless the DPP garners 100 percent of the vote.
Two other legislators left off the list were Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬) and Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), who are both are running for district legislative seats.
Other than the “Gong Ma” faction, all other factions appear to have representatives within the “safe” zone, including former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as Chen Chi-mai was a former presidential office deputy secretary-general and is seen as one of the former president’s close aides.
Although the party’s factional system was officially disbanded in 2006, most DPP politicians are still arranged in six loosely tied alliances that share close ideologies.
DPP officials have privately admitted that they are bracing themselves for some backlash, especially from Chai, a six-term legislator since 1993 who is the chairman of the FTV news station. Chai also maintains heavy support from several overseas Taiwanese groups.
The long-time legislator could not be reached for comment yesterday.
DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩), an Aborigine lawmaker, said her place as No. 17 on the roster represented a “lack of attention” displayed toward the people she represented.
“Being No. 17 is a very awkward position, it should be left for someone with a stronger heart,” she said.
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