Digitization will not help KMT
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) on March 23 announced that the party would hold an open audition for a “chief digital marketing technology officer,” a new position that is expected to help the KMT enhance its marketing strategy using the Internet.
Ten applicants made it onto the short list for the final audition on Saturday, and the position was won by Oscar Chien (簡勤佑), cofounder of online discussion forum Dcard. The appointment is to be approved at a meeting of the party’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday.
In early March, when Chiang was running for party chairperson, he posted a promotional video clip on Facebook in which he called for the party to “go online” and become “digitized.”
In the same video, Chiang also proposed “three musts,” saying that the KMT must be more open, modernize itself and step out of its comfort zone to once more become a great political party.
There is nothing wrong with the KMT aiming to go online and become digitized. However, it would be a great mistake if the party keeps attributing its election defeats to its inferior use of digital technology.
When the KMT was trounced in the November 2014 nine-in-one elections, the party put the blame on its opponents’ cyberarmy. This begs the question of whether the same explanation holds true for the KMT’s victory in the 2018 nine-in-one local elections and the serious setback it suffered in the Jan. 11 presidential and legislative elections.
The KMT’s real problem has nothing to do with the Internet. It is really a matter of the party’s mindset. When other parties are pushing for transitional justice, the KMT is still occupied with visiting the Cihu Mausoleum (慈湖陵寢) and paying tribute to late president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
When the government is making every effort to prioritize Taiwan and saying that “Taiwan is a sovereign nation whose official title is the Republic of China [ROC],” a KMT lawmaker said the opposite, stating that “the ROC is a country, but Taiwan is not.”
This kind of discourse and mindset is very unlikely to garner public support.
Chang Hui-ho
New Taipei City
Disappointing virus attitude
The government is making a lot of effort to contain the [COVID-19 outbreak], but sadly there are a number of citizens who are way too casual in their approach to it.
Traveling on a train as I do every day, there are still people eating on the train, not wearing masks, etc.
At the two schools I teach at, despite the local government issuing a rule that students have to wear masks, this rule is ignored by students and teachers alike.
I am really disappointed by this attitude.
Taiwan has been fortunate so far. The government has been relentless in its attempts to contain the virus, but sadly there are many who do not share their vision.
Name withheld
Zhubei, Hsinchu County
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