The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Wednesday decried accusations of cultivating “cult-like religious zealots,” by allegedly enticing students to attend political events and paying for “youth membership” in the TPP, calling it a politically motivated attempt to smear the party.
The accusation stems from a post on the Facebook group “Love Agro Girl” (農藝女孩看世界) on Wednesday by someone claiming to be the mother of a 16-year-old high-school student who purchased one of the “Little Grass” cards (小草識別證).
“My kid proudly showed me a ‘Little Grass Card’ with his name and photo, and said that many of his friends also got one. Someone arranged for a bus trip to Taipei to attend a TPP campaign event, and they all paid NT$500 to get this card,” she wrote.
Photo: Yeh Yung-chien, Taipei Times
“It is very worrying, because my son and their friends said they felt honored and were given a sense of belonging,” she said. “He told me that he is now a proud ‘Little Grass’ member, and at the event they told them that they should vote differently than their parents, who only know green and blue parties.”
She quoted her son as saying: “We are ‘little grass’ now, but in a few years, we will grow to become big trees... We are learning about political parties and elections so we can vote four years from now.”
Additionally, several videos circulating on social media this week have been shared by some TPP supporters that accuse election workers of engaging in voter fraud during the vote count.
“These kids are always on their phones watching YouTube and TikTok, where some videos have accused the blue and green parties of voter fraud. They were led to believe that [TPP Chairman] Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is a clean and ethical politician who was cheated out of the election by other parties,” the Facebook post said.
“Ko is poisoning our nation’s children, using clever slogans to brainwash them,” she said, adding that this influence is why Ko is confident he would run for president again in four years.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Chang Chi-hao (張志豪) said the party had received many similar complaints.
“We condemn the TPP and Ko for working to influence young people inside schools. Many parents have reported this happening and are very worried for their kids. We ask that the TPP not take advantage of open democracy to subvert democracy itself,” Chang said.
Ko earlier called for proof, saying that the Love Agro Girl Facebook group was politically motivated.
The group has a record of spreading rumors and is friendly toward DPP-affiliated groups, TPP spokesman Adam Lee (李頂立) said.
The post discriminates against young people, and attempts to create a slogan about “politics entering campus” to smear the TPP, Lee said, accusing the DPP of trying to shift the blame after it lost the youth vote.
Lee also said that the “Little Grass” card was different from the youth credentials issued by the party, and asked for more clarity about the claims.
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