WU CHIH-YANG POSSIBLE KMT UP AND COMER

C O N F I D E N T I A L TAIPEI 001492

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2019
TAGS: PINR PGOV TW
SUBJECT: WU CHIH-YANG POSSIBLE KMT UP AND COMER

REF: TAIPEI 1368

Classified By: Political Chief Dave Rank. Reasons: 1.4 b/d


1. (C) Summary. Among the winners in the Dec. 5 local
elections for city mayors and county magistrates, Wu
Chih-yang is garnering particular attention as an
up-and-comer in the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) party. The scion
of KMT royalty, Wu is the third generation of his family to
be elected magistrate of populous Taoyuan County. At 40
years, Wu is one of only a handful of charismatic young
leaders to emerge in a party top-heavy with long-entrenched
politicians. His rapid rise is due in part to the support of
his father, former KMT chairman and longtime party
heavyweight Wu Po-hsiung. In that sense, Wu Chih-yang's
political fortunes mirror those of another KMT leader, Taipei
Mayor Hau Long-bin, whose father served as premier and party
vice chairman. End Summary.

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Born to be a Politician
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2. (C) From the very start, Wu Chih-yang was groomed by his
father, Wu Po-hsiung, to take over the family's political
legacy. The elder Wu pushed his son to prepare for public
office by studying law and used his political capital to
advance his son's career. After completing legal degrees at
Taiwan National University and Havard, Wu Chih-yang was
elected to the Legislative Yuan (LY) in 2004 and reelected
four years later. Wu decided to follow in his father's and
grandfather's footsteps and run for Taoyuan County
Magistrate, a launching pad to higher office for former
Vice-President Annette Lu and Vice-Premier Eric Chu, a
popular KMT politician who is seen by many as the
heir-apparent to President Ma Ying-jeou. According to both
Chu and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng, Wu Po-hsiung
agreed to yield the KMT chairmanship to President Ma earlier
this year in exchange for party support of his son,s bid in
Taoyuan. The younger Wu subsequently was nominated as the
KMT candidate over a 40-year party veteran.

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Strengths & Weaknesses
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3. (C) In addition to his pedigree, Wu,s academic
background combined with a youthful and clean image appealed
to voters, according to Taoyuan County KMT Secretary General
Liu Jiu-nan. While opposition Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) candidates were widely viewed as being far more
effective than the KMT in using the Internet in the local
elections, Wu maintained a blog and a Facebook page to reach
out to web-savvy voters. Wu also has built on his father's
strong standing in the politically significant Hakka
community (reftel),which accounts for a sizable proportion
of voters in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and several other counties.
Still, his future political success is by no means
guaranteed. His younger brother, Wu Chih-kang, said easy
success and rigid legal training made Wu Chih-yang proud,
stand-offish and inflexible. Political analysts also have
pointed out that Wu's margin of victory in Taoyuan was
smaller than expected in a traditionally KMT-dominated
district.

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The Next Generation
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4. (C) When the DPP Secretary General resigned on December
8, one reason he cited for his decision was to make way for
the party,s next generation. While many in the KMT also
realize the importance of grooming a new generation, the only
truly prominent fortysomething KMT politician is Vice Premier
Chu. If Wu chih-yang proves a popular magistrate in Taoyuan,
he could soon join the exclusive club of young KMT
politicians to watch in the coming decades.
STANTON