It has only been a short three days since I returned to Taiwan, and all I've heard and seen is the presidential election today, January 14, 2012. "Dong suan," which is Taiwanese for winning an election, is the word of the week.
To say that I'm even remotely passionate about politics would be an overstatement, as I typically avoid it like rush hour traffic in San Francisco. However, I am quite impressed by the fervent enthusiasm the Taiwanese people are exhibiting, despite widespread reported corruption.
The top two contenders are Tsai, a 56-year-old mild mannered woman representing the Democratic Progressive Party who could become the first woman president of Taiwan, and Ma, the incumbent president of the Kuomingtang whose popularity has waned since his election four years ago. There are numerous fascinating stories I've heard regarding the KMT setting the date of the election (apparently, the election date is changed every time - evidently for the convenience of the ruling party) so that younger people in college would encounter great difficulty in voting, votes being bought with as low as $500 NTD (around $18 USD), the possibility of staging a major crisis - think illness or suicide attempt - on the date of the election to somehow alter its course.
To me, these latter stories, whether fact or fiction, are the most intriguing and revealing part of the election. Taiwan, whose status as a nation is not a global recognition, continues to struggle with its identity and relationship with China. Prior to elections in the past two decades, its people has always been under someone else's control: the Dutch, the Qing Dynasty, the Empire of Japan, and the Republic of China. Stories of oppression against the Taiwanese abound, and its history is complicated.
What has been produced from this prolonged period of "external" rule is the desire to survive - to simply make sufficient living to avoid hunger and death. Over the decades, the standard of living has improved for most people. However, I don't know that the culture and philosophy of democracy and its real implications are realistically rooted in the majority of the people.
The media are predicting an 80% voter turn-out. China supposedly has forbidden its citizens from flying to Taiwan the last few days in order to make room on flights for those Taiwanese business people living in China to return to Taiwan to vote.
The election is about to begin. We shall see how history unfolds.
No comments:
Post a Comment