Taiwanese Elections

strange Taiwanese elections 選舉怪現象

Taiwanese election is full of bizarre phenomena. During campaign season, the candidates will try their best to please or impress their voters. They take out ads in various newspapers soliciting votes. They also stand on street corners or on top of trucks to spread their views through loud-speakers asking for votes. But it isn't enough yet! They send out many campaign trucks with loud-speakers, weaving through the streets, blaring loud music and campaign slogans. 

On the eve of the election day, many unexpected and dramatic events will take place. For example, the candidate will portray himself as very very weak and appeal to the voters to support him. If necessary, they even kneel down to entreat the voters' pity or sympathy. And such moments are always accompanied by sad but heroic music. As I remember, several years ago, when 蘇貞昌 was running for the seat of Taipei County magistrate, DPP legislator盧修一, who was quite sick with cancer, knelt down in front of the crowd to plead with people to support 蘇貞昌. Because of such unexpected behavior, 蘇貞昌won the election.

Taiwanese election is always drastic and beyond our expectation. We never know what the candidate's next trick is. What we are sure is that their final aim is to gain the voter's sympathy and support; that's why these politicians keep on making lots of promises. Of course, the promises are seldom kept after the election. Unfortunately, people are so accustomed to this fact that they don't do anything to change it any more. Now, the candidates are nothing more than showmen on the stage, and people are just audiences who watch the performance-sometimes silently, sometimes with passion. Election campaigns are nothing but occasions for entertainment.

elections are beneficial for the weak 選舉的好處

瑩

From my point of view, I think Taiwanese elections are quite beneficial because many people will get short-term jobs and other benefits from these elections. The older people and the orphans will finally receive visits and presents by candidates during this time and get some media attention. Although the candidates are just making use of them to get more votes, still, people get benefits from them and they are treated nicely and kindly for a brief moment. 

In Myanmar where I come from, there are no elections. The officials are assigned to their posts, and the people not only do not get anything from the officials but also have to give presents to bribe them in order to do business and live in peace. Although people have much dissatisfaction about this situation, they can't do anything about it. So I think if one day Burmeses get a little more freedom and have elections as in Taiwan, it would actually be a great present for them. 　

Falsities in Taiwanese election 選舉的虛偽 

儀 

In my personal opinion, what I detest most in Taiwanese elections are: the exaggerated guarantees of the candidates, the sudden public services , and the bribery. 

Sometimes I wonder if the candidates ever take responsibility for their declarations. It's really ridiculous to promise something that can never be achieved in their term of position. I don't think most people believe the luring speech but we still have to listen to it. 

And every time the elections begin, there will be some extra road repair activities. I've witnessed the road in front of my house being repaved 3 times during the elections, and none of them were necessary because this road has always been in good condition. So why did they do that? To show their enthusiasm and care?

The most serious problem about elections is bribery. Actually, vote-buying has become so routine in our elections that I dare say no election is clean. I believe bribery is hard to eradicate since many people do not have strong ties to candidates and they will be willing to sell their votes in exchange for the money. So, the whole election is like a game, and whoever wins the election depends on how much he is willing to spend on buying votes. 

I think, not only Taiwan but everywhere else, political elections are always complex and have some problems. Although it's hard to do away with all these bad practices, we can make more effort to make our elections more convincing and respectable. 

election shows 選舉期間的作秀

潔

Whenever elections take place in Taiwan, citizens will be forced to confront repeated images, news, and campaign ads on TV. News stories that are not related to elections are nearly crowded out. Political figures and critics are invited to talk shows to discuss all kinds of issues related to the election, and candidates take every opportunity to get on the news by holding public rallies or by whistle-blowing certain unnoticed issues. Televised debates even occupy our Sunday afternoon leisure time.

Yet if these election activities do not focus on positive competition and constructive political views, but on defamation and abusive language, these election activities will only become eyesores for us. For the essence of elections is neglected and covered over by the greed and vanity of the candidates, and the people will be misled and forget what is a desirable candidate. They vote merely based on impressions or the frequency candidates appear on TV. This is a misfortune not only for Taiwan citizens but for Taiwan's future as well. We should be aware of that and do not fall victim under the electoral war. 

Election banners 選舉旗幟

禎

Every time when elections are held, all of the candidates would advertise themselves with various kinds of tricks to attract the voters' attention. Color-coded banners with various political slogans are hung everywhere. When there are so many contenders, the colors help voters recognize which political party the candidate belongs to even without knowing who he is.

When the election is over, these banners become nothing more than garbage waiting to be thrown away. However, the farmers have found a good use for these disposables. They would stand these banners in their fields, using them as scarecrows to guard the crops. As the wind blows through the farmfields, the flags all flutter together regardless of their political affiliation. Blue, green, yellow, or orange-for once they work together in peace for a common good.

Perhaps elections are beneficial for the common people after all.

Taiwan's Elections and Street Peddlers 選舉與小販

Taiwan's street peddlers are most sensitive about possible opportunities for businesses and they are well-informed about all kinds of festivities. Whenever there are folk festivals or celebrations at the temples, they always follow the crowd and try to make a small profit by selling all kinds of snack foods and beverages in the crowd.
Unfortunately, the peddlers' profits are not as good as before. They used to make money in front of temples in the countryside during celebrations of the gods. But fewer and fewer people join the festivals in recent years. As a result, peddlers are forced to look elsewhere for business.

Fortunately, Taiwan's elections offer them new hope. Where there are election campaigns or political rallies, there is business for them. The peddlers' life may not be steady or easy but the elections help gather possible customers. I think that is probably the best thing about elections-they can actually help with the economy.

Elections and free food 選舉與免費食物

There is at least one general election in Taiwan every year. When the election nears, the candidates always supply free food for the staff and anyone that should be at the campaign headquarters at mealtime. So we can see an interesting sight that the candidates' office bustles with people at lunchtime and dinnertime. People not only eat the free food there, but also package it up to take home. And in order to avoid bribery, the candidates sometimes would hold lunch or dinner parties in place of campaign rallies.

I think free food is a good strategy to make the candidates' campaign headquarter more popular and increase the number of supporters. It cost a lot of money to maintain the free food supply; therefore, in Taiwan, a candidate needs to be a rich person or s/he will be in debt soon.

elections make contributions to GNP 選舉與經濟效應

Believe it or not--Taiwan's elections make stunning contributions to our Gross National Product. Each candidate will have to put up tens of millions of dollars to order posters and flags in all sizes and shapes, and marked uniforms and caps for campaign workers and supporters just to make the candidate known to the general public. Then there is the election party that costs at least NT$100,000 per play, the free meals offered at campaign headquarters, the salary to full-time and part-time workers, and the numerous gift money to any joyous occasion that the candidate is invited to. Legislator 陳文茜 once mentioned that a politician in the United Kingdom will need NT$200,000 to run the campaign, but that amount is impossible in Taiwan, not even if it is tenfold.

The good thing about it is that, during this time of economic recession, no matter who wins the election, the commercial activities and job opportunities it brings will turn out to be very practical for the people.

Taiwanese Election and Flags 

election and the environment  環保選舉

諭 

Most people's impression of Taiwanese elections is that they are "dirty." The elections always come with a lot of flags and propaganda(文宣品), which often line the roads and streets with incompatible colors and may even block the drivers' view. What's worse, they end up creating a huge amount of garbage for the city after the election is over.

Fortunately, things are getting a little better in the election that is being held in Taipei. 陳朝順，one candidate for Taipei city councilor, is appealing for a "clean election," an election that is environmentally sound. Instead of giant posters and flags, this candidate sits in silence at the exit of the MRT station in the eastern district every day, holding only one cardboard in hand. The words on the board read: "No cars, no posters, no flags, no hatchet job.

Unlike other candidates who eagerly try to fill people's eyes and ears with campaign rhetoric, this candidate merely offered his ideas to the people quietly. He has his own insistence: "Just go for something that is right! We need a clean environment!" 

Although there are talks that this situation, having fewer and fewer flags in elections, is only caused by the economic depression, Taipei citizens should at least be happy for this moment. After all, we have had a clean election once.　

problems with Taiwan's democracy 行政不中立與買票

People often say that elections embody the basic spirit of democracy--that is, equality. Everyone has the chance to decide our political future by casting a vote and everyone may try to control political power through winning elections. The problem with Taiwanese elections is that the politicians in power always use their power to rig the elections. Strictly speaking, democratization in Taiwan has been underway for, at best, 20 years. Within that period of time, we should have learned the spirit of democracy. Yet whenever there are elections, and whichever political party is in office, government officials always take advantage of the political resources at their disposal to help candidates of their own party to win the election. They would withhold government funding for local constructions until election time. The awarding of the funding then becomes a sort of bribery to get certain funded areas to vote for certain candidates. Lack of administrative impartiality is a really serious problem for Taiwan's democracy.