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03-12-2014, 01:30 AM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/taiwan-election-558x480%20%281%29.jpg
It would be a great pity if a university’s program on political strategies does not include some case studies of Taiwan’s political campaigns and elections. Not that Taiwan has a fantastic political or democratic system, but it does provide enriching and interesting perspective on ways which political battles were fought. Whether it was about an honourable contest, hitting below the belt, diverting attention, sending out political signals or messages, framing an opponent, gaining sympathy votes … you have it all (and in a colourful way) in that relatively small piece of land!
While the Taiwanese political culture is very different from ours, there were several lessons which Singaporeans and our opposition camp should probably take note. One such lesson which our opposition parties should be reminded frequently is the danger of diluting the anti-votes against ruling party, especially in constituencies where the odds of winning are even.
In Taiwan’s recent local elections which was held against a backdrop of voters getting very angry with the ruling KMT, the opposition parties were able to demonstrate their ability to cooperate for the purpose of fighting against a common enemy. In the end, their joint efforts and sacrifices were paid off, with the KMT suffered one of its worst electoral defeats!
The opposition parties’ cooperation was probably most profound in the battle for Taipei’s mayoral seat. Apart from being the capital of Taiwan, the Taipei mayorship is often seen as a stepping stone to the Presidential Office. However, Taipei was KMT’s traditionally stronghold; the popular joke was that even the KMT candidate was lying on the floor, he could beat any challenger in a Taipei election. Indeed, in the previous Taipei election (Year 2010), a top-gun from the largest opposition party could only secured 43.8% of the total votes cast.
Hence, given the extremely bitter ground in the local elections held a few days ago, and that the KMT candidate for Taipei was a politically inexperienced son (labelled as a pampered scion) of Taiwan’s former Vice President, one would expect the opposition parties would be very keen to contest for the Taipei municipality.
However, I was very impressed to see major opposition parties were willing to view a popular independent candidate as a much better choice than their own respective party candidates to win the Taipei election! Not only those opposition parties did not contest in Taipei (thus avoided vote dilution), they even endorsed the independent candidate, giving him the opportunity to capture the maximum possible votes. As the world knows by now, that independent candidate won by a respectable margin (57.1% against KMT’s 40.8%).
I am not sure what is the Singapore equivalent for Taipei municipality. Perhaps Tanjong Pagar GRC? I heard the joke was that despite its anchor-candidate went on decades of medical leave, the PAP could still win Tanjong Pagar GRC without a single fight! A question flashed across my mind, if two or more opposition parties decide to contest in this GRC in the next general election, could they perform an honest review among themselves and conclude, “Ah, your candidates stand a better chance than my team to beat the PAP!”?
Given that Singaporeans are as angry (if not more) as the Taiwanese, it is very likely that in the next general election, our opposition parties will be very keen to fight the PAP in every constituency.
My wish is, and I am sure it is also most opposition supporters’ wish, that our opposition parties could work together and fight as a united force against their common enemy – the PAP. There is a need to be realistic, some candidates stand a much better chance than others in beating a PAP team. I know it is an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task for all opposition parties to agree on the best possible team for each constituency.
But, PLEASE, do try hard. It will be a tragedy if the strong teams of two opposition parties ended up fighting in the same constituency!
Celia Lim
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?195002-Kmt-lost-stronghold-taipei-because-of-a-united-opposition!&goto=newpost).
http://therealsingapore.com/sites/default/files/field/image/taiwan-election-558x480%20%281%29.jpg
It would be a great pity if a university’s program on political strategies does not include some case studies of Taiwan’s political campaigns and elections. Not that Taiwan has a fantastic political or democratic system, but it does provide enriching and interesting perspective on ways which political battles were fought. Whether it was about an honourable contest, hitting below the belt, diverting attention, sending out political signals or messages, framing an opponent, gaining sympathy votes … you have it all (and in a colourful way) in that relatively small piece of land!
While the Taiwanese political culture is very different from ours, there were several lessons which Singaporeans and our opposition camp should probably take note. One such lesson which our opposition parties should be reminded frequently is the danger of diluting the anti-votes against ruling party, especially in constituencies where the odds of winning are even.
In Taiwan’s recent local elections which was held against a backdrop of voters getting very angry with the ruling KMT, the opposition parties were able to demonstrate their ability to cooperate for the purpose of fighting against a common enemy. In the end, their joint efforts and sacrifices were paid off, with the KMT suffered one of its worst electoral defeats!
The opposition parties’ cooperation was probably most profound in the battle for Taipei’s mayoral seat. Apart from being the capital of Taiwan, the Taipei mayorship is often seen as a stepping stone to the Presidential Office. However, Taipei was KMT’s traditionally stronghold; the popular joke was that even the KMT candidate was lying on the floor, he could beat any challenger in a Taipei election. Indeed, in the previous Taipei election (Year 2010), a top-gun from the largest opposition party could only secured 43.8% of the total votes cast.
Hence, given the extremely bitter ground in the local elections held a few days ago, and that the KMT candidate for Taipei was a politically inexperienced son (labelled as a pampered scion) of Taiwan’s former Vice President, one would expect the opposition parties would be very keen to contest for the Taipei municipality.
However, I was very impressed to see major opposition parties were willing to view a popular independent candidate as a much better choice than their own respective party candidates to win the Taipei election! Not only those opposition parties did not contest in Taipei (thus avoided vote dilution), they even endorsed the independent candidate, giving him the opportunity to capture the maximum possible votes. As the world knows by now, that independent candidate won by a respectable margin (57.1% against KMT’s 40.8%).
I am not sure what is the Singapore equivalent for Taipei municipality. Perhaps Tanjong Pagar GRC? I heard the joke was that despite its anchor-candidate went on decades of medical leave, the PAP could still win Tanjong Pagar GRC without a single fight! A question flashed across my mind, if two or more opposition parties decide to contest in this GRC in the next general election, could they perform an honest review among themselves and conclude, “Ah, your candidates stand a better chance than my team to beat the PAP!”?
Given that Singaporeans are as angry (if not more) as the Taiwanese, it is very likely that in the next general election, our opposition parties will be very keen to fight the PAP in every constituency.
My wish is, and I am sure it is also most opposition supporters’ wish, that our opposition parties could work together and fight as a united force against their common enemy – the PAP. There is a need to be realistic, some candidates stand a much better chance than others in beating a PAP team. I know it is an extremely difficult, if not impossible, task for all opposition parties to agree on the best possible team for each constituency.
But, PLEASE, do try hard. It will be a tragedy if the strong teams of two opposition parties ended up fighting in the same constituency!
Celia Lim
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?195002-Kmt-lost-stronghold-taipei-because-of-a-united-opposition!&goto=newpost).