Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) drew criticism from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as well as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) after saying that his party would have won the election if ballot access was limited to college-educated voters.
At an event for party supporters in Hsinchu on Saturday, Ko said that aside from his own unsuccessful presidential run, the TPP won 22 percent of votes on the at-large legislator ballot, showing it has become a serious political force that is unlikely to fizzle out.
“The TPP has one major strategic advantage: If you’re someone who doesn’t support the KMT or the DPP, there’s no one else to choose from except the TPP,” Ko said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Analyzing the Jan. 13 election results, Ko said the TPP had received its highest vote share at polling stations located near universities and science parks.
Citing unspecified analysis from the US, he said the TPP is a party of “elites” similar to the ruling People’s Action Party in Singapore, with a voter base that is disproportionately young, well-educated and politically centrist.
Ko said that, by definition, it is hard for a party of elites to win a majority. Nevertheless, “If there was a rule stating that only college-educated people could vote,” the TPP would have won the election, he said.
After the remarks, Ko quickly clarified that he values democracy and the principle of one person, one vote, which guarantees a voice to disadvantaged groups in society, adding that for that reason, it would be wrong to “complain” that the TPP would have won if only well-educated people under 40 had the ability to cast a ballot.
DPP Legislator Lin Chu-yin (林楚茵) yesterday said the comments were just the latest of many by Ko showing an “arrogant bias” against less educated people.
Ko has previously argued that people who did not attend high school account for the vast majority of drug users, and that students graduating from certain university departments are economically “worthless,” Lin said.
KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) dismissed the remarks as “yet another gaffe” by the TPP chair.
In addition to discriminating on the basis of education, Ko’s comments are an example of a politician trying to choose his own voters, in a way that is not compatible with democratic norms, she said.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
RSS