The legislative by-election in Taipei’s third electoral district takes place today. Enoch Wu (吳怡農) is the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, while Taipei City Councilor Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) is contesting the seat for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Wu was born in the US, obtained a degree in economics from Yale University and was an executive director for investment banking company Goldman Sachs, earning an eight-figure salary.
At the age of 32, with a sense of responsibility for his homeland, he gave up his US citizenship and lucrative job, and returned to Taiwan.
After fulfilling his military duty, he enlisted in the army’s Special Forces Command, a unit that most people would do anything to avoid.
Wang began her career as a journalist, joining the New Party in 2006 and then the KMT in 2013 to run in Taipei City Council elections four times.
In 2018, she was elected to the city council in Taipei’s third electoral district with the most votes of any candidate, and she was re-elected with the second-most votes in the same district in November last year. She possesses a nationwide profile in addition to her formidable political skills.
As both Wang and Wu are capable and experienced, voters might struggle to decide who to vote for. I have a proposal for those who have difficulty choosing: Vote for Wu so that Wang can return to the city council and fulfill her pledge to the people in her electoral district.
In this way, both candidates can serve the public. By voting for Wang, a valuable Yale graduate and special forces recruit could be lost from public service.
By voting for Wu, Taipei residents can have their cake and eat it too, and ensure that both politicians can attend to their welfare.
Liu Ying is a physician.
Translated by Rita Wang
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