The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) yesterday nominated five candidates for next year’s legislative elections, triggering controversy after the party’s headquarters apparently snubbed Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅), who had been seen as a popular choice.
Three prominent women were given the nod: Taipei City councilors Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) and Hsu Su-hua (許淑華) — for races in Taipei’s fourth and seventh electoral districts respectively — along with Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who is to seek re-election to her Hualien County seat.
DPP Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said that Chen Kui-yu (陳癸佑) and Luo Kuei-hsing (羅貴星) would contest legislative seats in Nantou County and Miaoli County respectively.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
A lot of attention has been given to the DPP’s promotion of Kao and Hsu from city councilor seats to the legislative races.
Kao, a regular on political talk shows, thanked the DPP for giving the opportunity to a young woman like her, even though she has been embroiled in some controversies and faced criticism from other party members.
“It shows that within the DPP is a vibrant and diverse democracy, and able to accept different opinions and ideas... Our party will face tough battles, but together we can weather the storms and win the upcoming election,” she said.
Her nomination was criticized by some DPP members as a bid to curry favor with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), as Kao is seen as a “Ko-friendly” city councilor, while Wang, who has widespread grassroots support, is an outspoken critic of Ko.
Wang has developed a reputation as “commander-in-chief of Ko-hater army,” as his frequent clashes with the mayor have won him much airtime and helped make him a household name.
However, Hsu said that she and Kao have worked hard in Taipei for the DPP, helping it consolidate support in the city.
As young women, they took on the tough Taipei districts more than a decade ago, and they have been praised for their hard work and diligent efforts, she said.
Hsu is to face a challenge in Taipei’s seventh electoral district, which includes Xinyi (信義) and the south part of Songshan (松山) districts, as she is to face Pan Ho-hsun (潘厚勳), whom the Taiwan Solidarity Union nominated yesterday, for “deep green” votes.
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