Fight for people’s well-being or lose popular support
There is nothing more important for governments around the world than protecting people’s livelihoods. The recent local elections in Taiwan and the Legislative Council by-election for the Kowloon West geographical constituency seat in Hong Kong verified that fact yet again.
When then Democratic Progressive Party leader Chen Shui-bian was running for Taiwan leadership, one of the campaign slogans used by his supporters was “Vote for Ah Bian (Chen’s nickname) even if you’re starving”. The ominous logic of that slogan aside, Taiwan’s economy did suffer for eight years straight when Chen was in its top government office, as people’s well-being deteriorated due to his separatist obsession. In January 2016 the majority of voters in Taiwan gave the DPP a chance to redeem itself by putting Tsai Ing-wen in the top leadership role, but merely half way through her first term, the voting public switched sides en masse in the “nine-in-one” local elections on Nov 24, leaving Tsai no choice but to step down as DPP chairperson.
Some media in Taiwan said jokingly after the local elections that the largest political party in Taiwan today is called “I hate the DPP”. How did the DPP get demolished just a little more than two years after a rousing victory in the 2016 election? Taiwan’s executive head William Lai Ching-te was right on the mark when he concluded that the DPP got beaten so emphatically in the “nine-inone” elections because its governance has been unpopular.
Tsai has seriously damaged crossStraits relations since taking office by flaunting US support and encouragement to oppose the mainland’s pursuit of peaceful reunification of the Chinese nation in addition to nearly destroying Taiwan’s economy by emphasizing politics and ideology over economic development and people’s well-being despite growing public resentment. In terms of economic policies she lost no time after taking office in launching the “no-nuclear power” campaign with the goal of zero nuclear power generation in Taiwan by 2025.
As a result all existing nuclear power plants were forced to cut back output, leaving major cities such as New Taipei City and Taichung prone to severe electricity shortages and worsening air pollution because they have to increase coal-fire power generation to ensure normal power supply. KMT candidates in the “nine-in-one” local government elections took advantage of the air quality issue and ran all the way. Hou You-yi trounced DPP candidate Su Tseng-chang by a margin of more than 300,000 votes to win New Taipei City mayoral election; while Lu Shiow-yen defeated DPP’s Lin Chia-lung in Taichung mayoral race with 200,000 votes more than the latter got.
Tsai also lost more popular support over labor, healthcare and social security policies because she was obsessed with hurting KMT supporters in the armed forces and among civil servants and education workers. Her worst policies are of course found in cross-Straits relations and economic affairs, such as turning her back on the mainland by “reaching southward” for export markets. It led to a steep drop in the number of mainland tourists that left numerous consumer service providers bankrupt; while many local manufacturers and farmers lost their mainland buyers, thanks to Tsai’s confrontational mainland policies. Her leadership of the economy was undoubtedly to blame for the DPP’s disastrous results in the latest local elections. In the traditionally proDPP southern Taiwan, the “green camp” was able to keep only Pingtung county, Tainan city and Chiayi county; while other former strongholds and even DPP’s base camp Kaohsiung “changed color” from green to blue.
It’s the same story here in Hong Kong for the anti-central government opposition parties, which have lost several LegCo seats in recent years to incredible political incompetence caused by their refusal to heed popular will. They were defeated in both LegCo by-elections in Kowloon West this year simply because they refused to abandon their abusive and disruptive strategy of political showmanship instead of people- and economyfriendly pragmatism. By opposing everything the SAR government pursues for the sake of opposition they only succeeded in turning more people to the proestablishment and pro-economic development side. And they can no longer deceive the public with tall tales about “defending freedom, democracy and human rights” and “protecting Hong Kong”.
Many people believe nothing is more important in democratic politics than matters concerning people’s livelihood, which depends entirely on economic development. The latest local elections in Taiwan and LegCo by-election in Hong Kong proved them right once again. KMT’s Han Kuo-yu won the mayoral election in Kaohsiung, widely considered the ultimate DPP base camp until this year, by focusing on reviving local economy and nothing else. Independent “newbie” Chan Hoi-yan defeated opposition veteran politician Lee Cheuk-yan also by championing people-centric causes instead of ideological delusions and political antagonism.
The same theory applies to the rising popularity of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as well. She has been referred to as the “CE of people’s livelihoods” because she is committed to addressing some of the most pressing livelihood issues since taking office, especially increasing land supply and subsidized housing development, expanding economic diversity and helping young people wherever necessary. The pro-establishment parties, meanwhile, have been enjoying strong public support consistently because they are always focused on what the people care about the most and whether the SAR government is doing the right thing.
All these facts are proof that improving people’s well-being is the best way to maintain political success based on genuine popularity.
The article is translated from a commentary published in Ta Kung Pao on Friday, Nov 30.