MIAOLI COUNTY GEARS UP FOR BELLWETHER LEGISLATIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 000280 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/13/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL CH TW SUBJECT: MIAOLI COUNTY GEARS UP FOR BELLWETHER LEGISLATIVE BY-ELECTION ON SATURDAY Classified By: AIT Director Stephen M. Young, Reasons: 1.4 (b/d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Voters in Miaoli County's first district head to the polls on Saturday, March 14 to replace KMT legislator Lee I-ting, whose 2008 election was nullified because of vote buying. The KMT nominee, Lee's wife Chen Luan-ying, is heavily favored to defeat her opponent, a former KMT member running as an independent. The DPP, which has always had difficulty contending in Miaoli, did not enter its own candidate and is also struggling to identify a viable candidate for the December 5 county magistrate election. Low voter turnout or a surprisingly close race would be troubling signs for the KMT as it prepares for island-wide elections in December. End Summary. March 14 Legislative By-Election -------------- ¶2. (C) Miaoli KMT Chairman Lee Chin-sung told AIT that Chen Luan-ying is counting on voters who supported her husband and want her to follow through on his campaign pledges. Many voters feel sorry for Lee, believing he should not have been removed from office, and thus will vote for his wife. Lee I-ting will work for his wife if she is elected, enabling constituents to enjoy service from both of them. Another important factor favoring Chen is the strong support she is receiving from Magistrate Liu Cheng-hung, one of Taiwan's most popular local leaders, according to public opinion polls by more than one media organization. Chairman Lee also suggested voters will understand that, having its two legislators and its magistrate from the ruling KMT will increase Miaoli's chances of securing the limited funding for local projects available from central government ministries. According to the KMT chairman, the polling his party has contracted indicates that Chen maintains a 5-7 percentage point lead in the race. ¶3. (C) Former Miaoli DPP Chairman Hsu Chin-jung agreed with the KMT's prediction that Chen is likely to win the by-election, noting that independent candidate Kang Shih-ju had declined the DPP's advice to run a hard-hitting campaign underscoring Taiwan identity themes. DPP polling shows Kang holding a slight but diminishing lead, Hsu said, but KMT vote buying and voter mobilization will give Chen the edge on election day, he predicted. (Note: In a separate meeting, DPP Organization Department Director Wu Hsiang-jung told AIT the party's polling indicates voters expect Chen to win even though they rate Kang as more qualified.) ¶4. (C) Members of Kang's campaign team explained to AIT that their candidate, despite facing an uphill battle against the KMT organization (including KMT vote buying),is intent on running a clean campaign. Kang is playing up his experience and capabilities in contrast to Chen, whom the KMT nominated solely because she is Lee I-ting's wife. (Comment: In a similar case in Taitung County, Magistrate Wu Chun-li resigned in January 2006 after being suspended from office for a corruption conviction. Wu had already divorced his wife, Kuang Li-chen, a legal requirement to appoint her as deputy magistrate. Following Wu's resignation, Kuang ran and won the by-election for Taitung magistrate. Despite the legal divorce, it was apparent during the Director's recent visit to Taitung that Kuang and Wu are very much still a couple and are working together.) Although Kang has accepted limited assistance from some DPP members, he is keen on maintaining his independence to gain the broadest possible support from Blue, Green, and centrist voters in a Blue-majority district. Being close to the DPP would not be an advantage in this Blue-majority district, the campaign workers explained. (Note: After losing to Lee I-ting in the 2008 KMT LY primary, Kang supported the DPP candidate, resulting in the suspension of his KMT party rights. So political grudges are also a factor in this election.) Incumbent Favored in December County Magistrate Election -------------- -------------- TAIPEI 00000280 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) The DPP is having difficulty recruiting a viable candidate to run against the very popular KMT incumbent Liu Cheng-hung in the December 5 county magistrate election. According to contacts in Miaoli, Liu's popularity stems from his hard working style and a series of local highway and other projects that the local government has announced. While the local KMT chairman said these projects showed Liu's effectiveness, compared to previous magistrates, our DPP contact suggested the projects have mostly been "hype" so far. DPP and KMT contacts agreed that candidates in need strong roots in Miaoli, where local factions still play a role. ¶6. (C) Admitting the DPP's chances in the magistrate race are poor, former Miaoli Chairman Hsu explained the party has to have a credible candidate heading a ticket that will also include other DPP candidates running for lower level offices. The DPP was originally considering trying to recruit Soochow University Dean of Political Science Lo Chih-cheng to run for magistrate, Hsu explained, but that would put Lo in a difficult position because of his father's close connections to KMT Magistrate Liu Cheng-hung. The party is now leaning toward DPP Social Movement Department Director Yang Chang-chen, Hsu said. Yeh Chu-lan -------------- ¶7. (C) Both DPP and KMT contacts dismissed former Presidential Office Secretary General Yeh Chu-lan as a possible candidate for magistrate. Although a Hakka and a Miaoli native, Yeh's political career has been entirely outside the county, the former DPP Miaoli chairman noted, adding that it would look very bad for a former senior government official to be defeated in a local election in Miaoli. According to the KMT local chairman, voters in Miaoli do not have high regard for Yeh, believing she did little or nothing for the county when she had the opportunity to direct funding its way, for example, when she served as Minister of Transportation. The Hakka Factor -------------- ¶8. (C) In discussing Miaoli politics, KMT and DPP contacts both pointed to the strong support for the KMT from the "northern Hakka," who live in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli Counties. The northern Hakka have a distinct identity and language, which creates a gap between them and the Taiwanese-speaking DPP, they explained. In addition, marriages were common between northern Hakka women and mainlanders who came to Taiwan around 1949. Many of these mainlanders worked in the KMT government or organizations and transmitted their KMT identity to their Hakka wives' families and relatives. Our contacts noted that, in contrast to the northern Hakka, the "southern Hakka" in Pingtung and nearby areas are able to speak Taiwanese, have more interaction with Taiwanese communities, and are more supportive of the DPP. Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Although political observers here are expecting KMT candidate Chen Luan-ying to win the Miaoli by-election on Saturday, they point out that this election (and another by-election in Taipei City on March 28) will still be a significant political indicator. In a meeting with AIT two weeks ago, KMT Secretary General Wu Den-yih voiced some concern about the outcome, pointing out that Kang would likely garner almost all of the DPP votes and may continue to have supporters among KMT voters. If turnout rates are exceptionally low, that could be an indication of public dissatisfaction with the government and the political situation. Even if the KMT wins, a relatively narrow margin of victory could indicate voters' dissatisfaction with the ruling party. An upset victory by Kang would of course be a shock to the KMT establishment. YOUNG