The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) hopes of cracking the pan-blues grip on Miaoli County got a boost yesterday when Miaoli County Commissioner Fu Hsueh-peng (傅學鵬) agreed to work with the party's candidate for his post in the year-end elections.
DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) yesterday announced a plan to collaborate with Fu for the elections, who is a nonpartisan and has held the county commissioner job for almost eight years.
"The DPP has never won the commissioner election in Miaoli County. But this time, by cooperating with Fu, I think we have a very good chance to win," Lee said.
According to the DPP's estimates, a candidate recommended by both Fu and the party might obtain about 60 percent of the vote and would be certain to beat the candidate from the pan-blue camp.
Lee said that he had met with Fu and DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) four times in the past two weeks to discuss a collaboration.
Lee said that Fu was concerned about his successor continuing construction plans, projects and other policies that the county government is working on.
Fu choose to work with the DPP because of the goodwill it had extended him, Lee said.
"With Fu's help, the year-end election in Miaoli will become the competition between the DPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT]," Lee said.
"Miaoli County and Yunlin County are the only two counties that the DPP has never won in western Taiwan, and we think we have a chance of succeeding in both," Lee said.
A candidate for Miaoli has yet to be chosen, Lee said.
"With Fu's recommendation, we will find an appropriate candidate. But the candidate has to join the DPP and campaign on behalf of the DPP," Lee said.
The party had planned to enlist the director of the its department of ethnic affairs, Yang Chang-cheng (
"Our survey found that we have the best chance if we cooperate with Fu," Lee said.
He said that Fu will choose a candidate from four possibilities -- the director of the county government's Bureau of Public Works, Han Hong-en (韓鴻恩); People First Party (PFP) Legislator Hsu Yao-chang (徐耀昌), Deputy County Commissioner Chen Hsiu-lung (陳秀龍) and Miaoli City Mayor Chiu Bing-kun (邱炳坤).
All four are Hakkas, reflecting the fact that Miaoli has one of the largest Hakka populations in the country -- and perhaps the DPP's need to appeal to the Hakka vote.
The final word on the candidate rests with DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
"We will announce the nominee after Chairman Su returns from the US," Lee said.
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