After the Feb. 28 Hand-in-Hand Rally, the presidential campaign between the pan-green and the pan-blue camps has entered the final countdown phase. Several public polls showed President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is taking the lead over Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) by 1 percent to 3 percent.
In the face of such a close race, the final decision would be made largely by the so-called "swing voters." Among them, young people have been both camps' most significant target voters, since more than 1.5 million young people have become eligible to vote for the first time.
It is widely recognized that the support of young voters was one of the driving forces behind Chen's victory in 2000. The desire for change and younger leadership motivated the young people to cast their votes in the historic transfer of political power four years ago.
In the present presidential race, as Lien teamed up with his former rival People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), attracting young voters by taking advantage of Chen's policy failures is the key to their campaign ticket. Despite emphasizing that "leadership is not about age but about wisdom and experience," both of them have been trying to change their wardrobes as they opt for a more youthful look to attract younger voters.
The efforts made by Lien and Soong to lure young voters might have short-term effects, but they will have a negligible impact on the campaign itself, because they fail to grasp the pulse of the young generation.
First, the pan-blue camp has thus far been unable to create a campaign with momentum such as the 228 rally to encourage young voters to participate in the campaign.
For the youth to come forward, a great incentive is necessary to make them "creators of history." Chen's camp successfully mobilized young people to join the change of Taiwan's first ever transfer of political power in 2000.
Even though the pan-blue alliance has resorted to the slogan of bringing forth "the second switch of political parties" this time, the idea is based merely on Chen's apparent lack of concrete performance, not because the Lien-Soong ticket is a better choice.
Second, Lien's camp failed to present a feasible policy to young voters.
The three-month voluntary military service scenario is too bold and irresponsible, simply because it put aside the issue of national security and bypassed the necessity of an incremental adjustment of the current system.
Third, the purpose of leadership is to get young people to follow you and to stay with you. So motivate them, do not dictate to them.
Political leaders have to create a culture that makes young people feel as if they are part of something important and that they are themselves important. Even if it were a mentor-protege relationship, the kids should play a key part. In this regard, the pan-blue camp should incorporate more young blood into the decision-making process.
Young voters are by nature pragmatic. Getting a decent job and having a brighter future are of great concern to them. Whoever can guarantee them a better future will have their votes in his pocket.
Personality no longer plays as significant a role as it did before. Some young voters will carefully make a character judgment in evaluating whom to trust with their vote.
But as the younger generation becomes more certain of their own opinions, they worry less about to whom they will delegate their power, and more about whether or not their representative will echo their own points of view.
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) sits down with US President Donald Trump in Beijing on Thursday next week, Xi is unlikely to demand a dramatic public betrayal of Taiwan. He does not need to. Beijing’s preferred victory is smaller, quieter and in some ways far more dangerous: a subtle shift in American wording that appears technical, but carries major strategic meaning. The ask is simple: replace the longstanding US formulation that Washington “does not support Taiwan independence” with a harder one — that Washington “opposes” Taiwan independence. One word changes; a deterrence structure built over decades begins to shift.
Recently, Taipei’s streets have been plagued by the bizarre sight of rats running rampant and the city government’s countermeasures have devolved into an anti-intellectual farce. The Taipei Parks and Street Lights Office has attempted to eradicate rats by filling their burrows with polyurethane foam, seeming to believe that rats could not simply dig another path out. Meanwhile, as the nation’s capital slowly deteriorates into a rat hive, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection has proudly pointed to the increase in the number of poisoned rats reported in February and March as a sign of success. When confronted with public concerns over young
Taipei is facing a severe rat infestation, and the city government is reportedly considering large-scale use of rodenticides as its primary control measure. However, this move could trigger an ecological disaster, including mass deaths of birds of prey. In the past, black kites, relatives of eagles, took more than three decades to return to the skies above the Taipei Basin. Taiwan’s black kite population was nearly wiped out by the combined effects of habitat destruction, pesticides and rodenticides. By 1992, fewer than 200 black kites remained on the island. Fortunately, thanks to more than 30 years of collective effort to preserve their remaining
China has long given assurances that it would not interfere in free access to the global commons. As one Ministry of Defense spokesperson put it in 2024, “the Chinese side always respects the freedom of navigation and overflight entitled to countries under international law.” Although these reassurances have always been disingenuous, China’s recent actions display a blatant disregard for these principles. Countries that care about civilian air safety should take note. In April, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) canceled a planned trip to Eswatini for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s coronation and the 58th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic
RSS