The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday called on voters to pool their party votes for the TSU in Saturday’s election, so that the pan-green political camp can secure an outright majority in the legislature.
Accompanied by 10 legislator-at-large candidates, TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told a news conference in Taipei that although the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to secure an outright majority of about 65 legislative seats by itself, many laws are passed following cross-party negotiations and the pan-green camp would truly gain an outright legislative majority only if the TSU manages to form a caucus and join forces with the DPP and the New Power Party.
To illustrate his point, Huang said that despite the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) majority of 64 seats, it has often often had problems pushing through the policies of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “appalling and problematic government,” because of resistance from the pan-green DPP and TSU caucuses.
Citing a political party vote-distribution tactic proposed by former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) — which called on voters to cast their party votes for the New Party — Huang underlined the TSU’s importance in the pan-green alliance for fighting off potential boycotts staged by three possible pan-blue caucuses — the KMT, New Party and the People First Party — against Tsai’s Cabinet.
Huang said that with China’s growing ambitions to exert influence on Taiwan, it is unlikely that an administration headed by DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would have an easy time and another of the TSU’s roles would be to defend the nation from China’s threats.
“In these circumstances, political division of labor is needed. The DPP and the NPP can take care of internal affairs, while the TSU will defend Taiwan against the intruding ‘red tide,’” he said.
“As president, Tsai would need to be discreet. There will be things she might feel are inconvenient to do or say. The TSU would say and do them for her, thereby serving as a complementary party,” Huang said.
Touting the TSU’s “illustrious” performance in the legislature, including its strong opposition to the cross-strait service trade agreement and a bill that would allow Chinese students to enjoy the benefits of the nation’s National Health Insurance system, as well as its efforts to assist the passage of three laws which would save subscribers to television networks about NT$5,000 per year, Huang, along with the legislator-at-large candidates, pleaded with voters to cast their party votes for the TSU on Saturday.
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