Enoch Wu (吳怡農), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate in the Taipei legislative by-election, said his opponents are trying to influence voters by creating a negative public perception of him.
“The opposition’s manipulation of public opinion through ‘politics of hatred’ has been effective. However, we will insist on campaigning based on positive and fair competition,” Wu said at an event at Wenchang Temple (文昌宮) in Zhongshan District (中山).
The event was also attended by DPP Taipei city councilor-elect Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳).
Photo: CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) has claimed that Wu during his time as director of the DPP’s Taipei Chapter had close ties with Huang Cheng-kuo (黃承國), a member of the party’s central standing committee.
Wang said Huang previously had ties to gangsters.
Reporters yesterday told Wu that the number of online posts discussing his alleged ties to gangsters had increased from about 500 late last month to 8,000 recently, citing Taiwan Public Opinion Research Center data released on Tuesday.
Pundits and DPP members have said that the center is a known pro-KMT entity gauging public opinion and compiling online data.
They have also said that the center’s founder, Li Jung-chang (黎榮章), had in the past conducted publicity campaigns and worked to influence online discussions in favor of KMT candidates, including during former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) 2020 presidential campaign.
Wu said that “voters want to see a positive and fair competition... In the next four weeks, I hope the opposition camp can conduct their campaign in a more positive way, as it is what voters deserve.”
“When this issue winds down, we hope that the KMT can join our party to approve amendments to the election law,” he said.
The DPP legislative caucus on Monday proposed barring convicted criminals and gangsters from running in elections.
However, KMT lawmakers opposed the proposal.
Wu said he would present “white papers” on national defense starting next week, including on improving training for conscripts and reforming the armed forces.
Wu served as director of the Forward Alliance focused on civil defense training. He has helped draft national defense reports for the DPP and served at the National Security Council. Wu was born in the US to Taiwanese parents, but renounced his US citizenship and returned to Taiwan in 2013. He served in the army’s special forces unit from 2014 to 2015.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) and other councilors yesterday said that Taipei City Council Deputy Speaker Yeh Lin-chuan (葉林傳) of the KMT was a campaign manager for Wang.
Yeh’s father, Yeh Ming-tsai (葉明財), is on police records as a founder of the Niupu Gang, a large organized criminal group active in Taipei’s entertainment districts, they said.
Lawyer Lu Chiu-yuan (呂秋遠) said it was “absurd” for the KMT to accuse Wu of having ties to gangsters, as it is the KMT itself which has members embroiled in organized crime, including illegal firearms possession, fraud, drug offenses and gang involvement.
“How can the KMT keep a straight face attacking someone for having links to gangsters?” Lu said.
Lu said KMT Central Standing Committee member Hsiao Ching-tien (蕭景田) was convicted for killing a police officer and KMT Hsinchu City Chapter director Hsu Hsiu-juei (許修睿) was convicted of intimidating businesses and is a known member of the Four Seas Gang.
Separately, Wang said she has requested enhanced police protection after she has received a telephone call allegedly saying: “If you talk about gangsters any more, someone will fire a gun.”
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