Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), chairman of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), yesterday said he was continuing with his experiment to develop what he described as an “atomic bomb” that he hoped would have a big influence on Taiwanese politics.
Ko made the remarks on the sidelines of a rally for TPP legislative candidates in front of the Taipei Election Commission. He had taken a couple of hours off from his mayoral duties to show his support for the party’s nominees on the first day of registration for legislative candidates.
He first arrived at the headquarters of an online live broadcasting platform in Taipei to promote the TPP candidates, before joining those running for seats in Taipei.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
They chanted slogans in front of the city commission: “Push the pan-blue and pan-green camps to the side and put the people back in the center” and “Let Taiwan reboot and the Legislative Yuan have new opportunities.”
“Innovation is the only path for Taiwan,” Ko said, adding that as a smaller party with less resources, the TPP has to find new ways to promote itself, such as soliciting votes through new media platforms.
No matter how difficult it might be for TPP candidates to secure seats in the Jan. 11 elections, he has often encouraged them to do their best and go on bravely forward, Ko said.
He added that he was continuing with his experiment to develop an “atomic bomb” — signifying his intent to make a big difference to local politics.
Asked whether the TPP has decided on its list of legislators-at-large, Ko said the party plans to register them tomorrow — before the Friday deadline.
Asked about reports that the announcement has been delayed because potential nominee Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈), deputy chief executive of Shin Kong Life Insurance Co and granddaughter of Shin Kong Group founder Wu Ho-su (吳火獅), was having difficulty persuading her family about her plan to become a politician, Ko said: “Everyone will know [who is on the list] on Wednesday morning.”
Although Taiwan is a free and democratic country, it still lags behind democratic states such as Sweden and Switzerland, as many Taiwanese businesspeople are hesitant about openly funding political parties and would rather donate cash without getting a receipt, he said.
Ko reiterated that the TPP’s goal is not to attract large cash donations, but to raise campaign funds through online platforms.
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