Saturday’s presidential election marked the fourth and probably the final time People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has participated in such a poll, but his party’s almost cult-like structure centering on Soong might limit its influence in the next major election.
Of the six direct presidential elections held since 1996, Soong has sought the presidency three times and the vice presidency once. He ran as an independent in 2000 after failing to obtain the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination. After losing that poll, he formed the PFP, but in 2004, he ran for vice president on the KMT’s ticket alongside former vice president and then-KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰). Soong’s second presidential bid was in 2012.
Although Soong fared better than Lien in the 2000 race, losing to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) by just 300,000 votes, it was evident that he was burning himself out during the campaign for the 2012 race and the recent campaign in his efforts to increase total votes for the PFP.
His latest presidential bid saw him win nearly 13 percent of the vote, or 1.57 million ballots, a vast improvement over his showing in 2012, when he won just 360,000 votes.
However, support for Soong has not translated into votes for his party.
The PFP won 720,000 party votes, or 5.49 percent, in the 2012 presidential and legislative elections, taking three at-large seats in the legislature plus one more from the seats reserved for Aboriginals.
On Saturday the party garnered 800,000 votes, retaining its three at-large seats, showing that the PFP has reached its limit of influence in the legislature, even with Soong’s help.
The party’s failure to win any of its district-level legislator elections highlights its inability to move beyond the legislator-at-large theatre.
Despite Soong’s best efforts this time around to appeal to younger voters, including giving up the suit-and-tie look in favor of casual dress shirts and slacks — as well as trying his hand at rapping — the majority of the party’s upper echelon is above the age of 50.
The “glory” of Soong’s accomplishments as Taiwan provincial governor in the 1990s has dimmed greatly and has failed to attract younger voters.
Though Soong has denied he might play a role in DPP president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, it would not be surprising if he did. His previous pledge, in 2006, to retire from politics after losing his bid to become Taipei mayor, did not dissuade him from trying a second time in 2008 to win the presidency.
Political commentators have floated the idea that Soong might eventually choose to round out his career by becoming special envoy to China for Tsai’s administration.
The PFP must begin to evaluate its options for the post-Soong era and take this opportunity to restructure and find a new, preferably younger, leader.
Otherwise, the PFP might find itself out of the legislature altogether in the 2020 presidential and legislative elections.
Translated by Jake Chung
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard