Notes about the elections
There are several things about next month’s elections that require attention.
According to polls conducted in the past few months, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is likely to become the first female president of Taiwan.
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential ticket is the most controversial among the three, with the replacement of a presidential candidate and the alleged transactions in military housing units by vice presidential candidate Jennifer Wang (王如玄).
KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) is a controversial figure himself. Many legislative candidates do not like endorsements from Chu or President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
There are 18 political parties competing for 34 at-large legislative seats. Other than the DPP and the KMT, only the New Power Party, which was established after last year’s Sunflower movement, is likely to gain more at-large seats than the People First Party.
While KMT members are debating whether the Republic of China (ROC) exists, DPP members are assuring voters that the ROC would continue to exist if the DPP wins the presidential election. Only Taiwanese are entitled to decide the issue of their nationality and identity. Taiwan, under the name ROC, has been barred from the UN.
Several spokespeople from the KMT defend their party. Since they are uninformed of detailed KMT operations, their arguments are hardly convincing.
While each KMT legislative candidate is receiving a payment of about NT$60 million (US$1.8 million) from their “party center” to fund their campaigns, DPP legislative candidates depend on small donations from the public. Even Tsai relies on piggy-bank donations.
Tsai routinely discloses the amount of donations she has received and details her expenses. In contrast, Chu has never disclosed his income sources or expenses. He is selling “KMT assets” and many people suspect the KMT of buying votes.
The KMT should return the assets to the state instead of “nullifying” them. The cash from their sales might fill the coffers of a certain individual or might be used illegally.
Charles Hong
Columbus, Ohio
Worthwhile Manila drama
A new movie by Philippine director Brillante Mendoza offers a unique take on the recovery efforts that followed the destruction of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013 and is worth watching. It features a storyline that depicts efforts of the Tzu Chi Buddhist Compassion Relief Foundation there.
The 90-minute movie, titled Taklub — which means Tacloban in the local language — was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May and won the best picture award at this year’s Cli-Fi Movie Awards. Snippets of it can be seen on YouTube as well as the official trailer.
“Cli-fi” movies have emerged as a niche genre, with underlying messages of environmental awareness. Such movies allow filmgoers to see parts of the world through anecdotes or current events related to climate change, which is exactly what Taklub does.
Climate change documentaries are powerful, but films featuring movie stars and a vivid storytelling can be effective tools as well. We need to go beyond abstract predictions and government statistics, and try to show the cinematic or literary reality of a painful, possible future shaped by climate change. Mendoza does that brilliantly in his movie.
After the Paris climate agreement, the world is focusing more than ever on issues relating to global warming caused by humans, and movies can help by reaching millions of people with compelling stories.
With Taklub, Mendoza has made a memorable movie that could stand the test of time, even though it is a small movie made with a limited budget.
Dan Bloom
Chiayi
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