The KMT's campaign is often no match for its opponents when it comes to drawing voters' attention in this so-called "media age." Nevertheless, there is an exception -- the one and only Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
With his charming face and pleasant personality, Ma beat then mayor Chen Shui-bian (
Trailing behind Ma in all recent public polls, Lee faces a tough fight as an underdog. In fact, Ma enjoys an overwhelming lead over any potential DPP candidate.
However, this does not ensure Ma's victory. He may have enjoyed a consistently high approval rating over the past three years, but his teammates in the city government have a lot of catching up to do. In other words, the Ma administration as a whole might become the stumbling block for the mayor himself.
The city government's poor handling of the crackdown on the sex industry and rampant police corruption has had a devastating effect on Ma. The city's slow response to the flood caused by Typhoon Nari last summer also displayed a lack of crisis-management capability. Unlike Chen's administration, Ma's team is not competitive in responding to the public's needs.
In the past two mayoral elections in Taipei, Chen won on average 40 percent of the vote. The DPP is quite confident that Lee could secure at least the same number of votes from the so-called "pan green" camp. Add to this the fact that Chen, as president, and the DPP will be standing united behind Lee.
The candidate's personality is another key. As a Harvard graduate and the holder of a doctorate, Lee has received praise for his distinguished education background and international vision, two advantages he shares with Ma. Though Lee doesn't come from Taipei, his professional experiences as a legislator, a diplomat and an executive
official would be important factors to voters.
Most importantly, Lee is a fighter, not a quitter. He's the kind of guy who is enthusiastic, aggressive, sanguine and, best of all, down to earth. Soon after his nomination was confirmed, he described his race with Ma as a "gentlemen's competition." The truth is, there is no way for an election in Taiwan to be "gentle."
Since Taipei has the largest number of middle-class voters, the extent to which Lee could attract these moderate voters would decide the result of the election. Under the circumstances, being aggressive, but not nasty, is the rule to follow in the campaign.
As the challenger, Lee should first raise the issues for debate and then present his views on these issues, so that the voters would have concrete information with which to make their decision. Lee should ask Taipei voters the following questions: "Are you better off than you were four years ago? Aren't you worried that your cars will float away in the next flood? Are you happy with the environment in which you live and with the underground brothels that are still running?"
In any given context, being aggressive helps one to push issues that reflect most favorably upon you. Next, get ready to launch a tug of war -- find out what went wrong with the city government in the last three years and strike at it with force and determination.
Some have portrayed the Tai-pei mayoral election as a prelude for the 2004 presidential election. It might not have a direct impact on Chen's re-election, but it definitely warrants close observation.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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