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.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
RSS