Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday wrapped up a four-day visit to Hakka constituencies, saying that she would designate it a national-level cultural preservation area if she is elected president in January.
Tsai, who is of Hakka descent, said she had learned a lot by meeting people who have been able to create a new way of life through a combination of tradition and innovation.
“The Hakka people glorify the adventurism of Taiwanese with their determination to safeguard their homeland, overcome any hardship and embrace the unknowns in the same way their predecessors have always done in the past,” she told thousands of supporters at her final stop in Sinwu Township (新屋), Taoyuan County.
The voices of the Hakka, the second-largest ethnic group in the nation behind the Hoklo, had been heard during her “cultural roots tour” of Miaoli, Hsinchu and Taoyuan counties, she said, adding that what the Hakka want is not much different from what other ethnic groups want.
“You want a government and a president that care about the people and know how to look after them,” she said.
While the previous DPP administration had spent resources and effort in Hakka-populated areas, “it is obvious that we did not do enough,” she said.
Throughout her trip, Tsai has spoken about her vision for Hsinchu — a “two-winged plan” of balanced technological and agricultural development — that would expand the technology cluster centered around the Hsinchu Technology Park and develop precision agriculture as well as innovative, and distinctive, local businesses.
She said the DPP, which established the Council for Hakka Affairs and the Hakka Television Service when it was in power between 2000 and 2008, would do its best to preserve Hakka culture, which Tsai described as “a gem of Taiwan’s diverse culture.”
The region has traditionally been a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) stronghold and Tsai’s trip is aimed at drumming up support for herself and the DPP’s legislative candidates in the Jan. 14 elections.
Former Council for Hakka Affairs deputy chairman Wu Chin-fa (吳錦發) said the DPP enjoys solid support among Hakka in the south, but it is fighting an uphill battle for Hakka votes in the north.
Of the three Hakka-populated counties in northern Taiwan, the DPP has usually fared better in Hsinchu, while trailing by a significant margin in Miaoli, Wu said.
In Miaoli, which appears to be a crucial battleground for Hakka votes, the DPP has a strong support base in the coastal areas, but it is much weaker in the mountainous areas, he said.
Tsai’s itinerary focused on the latter on her trip.
“However, we’re pretty sure about two things. First, the DPP is going to do better this time than four years ago. Second, the DPP’s support rate among Hakka women is increasing because more Hakka women are able to relate to Tsai,” Wu said.
If Tsai is able to take 45 percent of the votes in Miaoli, it would mean that she won 40 percent of votes in the mountainous area and 50 percent in the coastal areas, said Lee Chiao (李喬), a well-known Miaoli-born writer.
“I think she is going to win the election,” Lee said.
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