Chang Wen-ying (張溫鷹) was just a dentist, but she nipped and tucked former DPP Chairman Shih Ming-teh's (施明德) chin and double-fold eyelids when he was on the run during the 1979 Formosan Democratic Movement.
Chang, the incumbent Taichung Mayor seeking re-election without the DPP's blessing, looked back at her 51 years and said that she never thought about pursuing a career in politics. But many democratic activists long ago anticipated her political prospects.
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"It took great courage for her to give a facelift to someone like me, who was then the KMT's most wanted man," Shih said. He described himself as then being "a walking dead man that even ignorant children were afraid of."
Shih attributed Chang's courage to her sense of justice and their patient-doctor relationship.
Operating on Shih brought Chang a two-year jail term on charges of concealing a fugitive. The incarceration, however, led to her heightened sense of political awareness.
Released from prison, Chang became politically active, took charge of the then yet-to-be-founded opposition DPP's organizing work in the greater Taichung area, and ran for a National Assembly seat in 1986.
Though Chang was defeated as a political freshman, her political reputation flourished thereafter and attracted a great deal of enthusiastic support.
"Among all female politicians, Chang excelled over the others in her eloquence, outspokenness and political viewpoints," said former DPP legislator Liu Wen-ching (
Liu said that Chang's campaign publications -- when she ran as a DPP candidate for a seat on the 1989 Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council -- deeply impressed many voters with their political appeal.
With last-minute support from then-Taichung Mayor Chen Tuan-tang (
At 41, Chang married Chen's divorced son -- Chen Wen-hsien (
After serving two-terms as a Taiwan Provincial Consultative Councilor, Chang aimed for something higher -- the 1997 Taichung Mayoral race.
"Because of her in-laws' political influence, Chang won the mayoral election," said Hsu Jung-shu (
Hsu attributed Chang's success to her hard-working personality, while Liu said Chang's patience and kindness had won her the trust of the citizens of Taichung.
Chang's hard work once earned her the nickname of the "silent duck that paddles its way upstream without tiring."
"She's like a mother. Such a character tends to attract voters who don't have clear party allegiances," Liu said, echoing Hsu's views.
Chang's relationship with the DPP -- especially the New Tide faction -- gradually deteriorated. According to Hsu, the faction blamed Chang, during her heyday, for not fully supporting its legislative candidates in Taichung, including Hung Chi-chang (
"The faction is too anxious to replace Chang," Hsu said, adding that it has always been an unwritten tradition within the party to fully support its members' re-election as heads of local governments.
But that did not happen to Chang, who lost badly to Tsai in the party's April primary elections.
Many party heavyweights attributed Chang's failure to her controversial husband, who was dubbed "the underground mayor" and is accused of meddling in the Taichung City Government' affairs.
But Hsu disagreed. "Chang has become a female politician with few flaws.
Her husband has, therefore, become an easy target to find fault with," Hsu said, adding that it was not fair to criticize Chang for whatever her husband, as an individual, had done.
Hsu said that Chen Wen-hsien this time had become an obstacle to Chang's re-election, although Chang would not agree and has chosen to stand by her husband.
As tough as the battle ahead may be, Chang has chosen to be a warrior and fight to further realize her political ideals.
Her apparent cooperation with the People First Party is also considered a betrayal of the DPP and its traditional supporters and has attracted severe criticism.
Putting the criticism aside, Chang is set on proving that she is not only a strong mayor, but that she is also determined to make Taichung a better place for "many moms and kids."
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and