nwasianweekly.com
March 21, 2008

Photo by Rebecca Ip

Local Taiwanese Americans protest in front of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Affairs Office March 26, 2004. Supporters of the Nationalist Kuomintang party denounced the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate, Chen Shui-ban, labeling an assassination attempt as a ploy for votes.

Local Taiwanese returning to homeland to vote

By Michelle Kang
Northwest Asian Weekly

In Seattle, as many as 700 Taiwanese are flying back to Taiwan to vote in that country’s presidential election March 22. Seventeen million Taiwanese overall are expected to vote, choosing between Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh or Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou.

Various polls put KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou ahead but predictions are unreliable, due to last-minute voter turnout drives and lack of accurate pre-election polling.

Whoever wins, though, it is widely recognized that the future president will veer away from the controversial stance of outgoing leader President Chen Shui-bian of the DPP.

The attention being paid to this election is demonstrated by the many Taiwanese who are abroad but returning to their homeland to cast their votes. Absentee ballots aren’t allowed; all votes must be cast in person. Taiwan allows dual citizenship, and voters need a Taiwanese passport or official identification card.

Director General Robert Chen of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Affairs Office in Seattle explained that more people are going back to vote in this election compared to four years ago. Two hundred to 300 of those flying back plan to vote for the DPP, and 300-400 will cast their vote for the KMT.

To help get the voters to the polls, the Taiwanese airlines EVA and China Airlines are offering special deals, with round trip tickets costing around $500, normally $600-$700.

Hedy Tong, general manager of China Airlines, said that they have increased their number of flights from three to five a week. Typically, about 20 percent of the passengers on a flight to Taiwan are Taiwanese immigrants; now, about 35 to 40 percent of passengers are Taiwanese living abroad, according to Tong.

Reflecting on the dedication that Taiwanese living in Seattle have for the future of their home country, Chen said, “I really appreciate that so many overseas Taiwanese are going back. They care so much about their native land.” The nine officials working at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Affairs Office are themselves too busy to return to vote — only one staff member plans to return.

China Harbor Restaurant owner Lo-Yu Sun, a KMT supporter, said his whole family of six, including brothers and sisters, is returning to vote. Sun is a party organizer of the local “Friends of Ma Ying-jeou” and has placed ads in local Chinese publications urging fellow Taiwanese to vote.

Asked why he is voting, Sun replied, “It’s important we go back because we want our native country to be in good hands. But for candidate Ma, it (a win) is not guaranteed although his poll is ahead.” Sun voiced fears that the DPP would influence the vote. He referred to the 2004 elections, when an assassination attempt on Chen Shui-bian on the eve of the election may have generated sympathy votes, enough to influence the turnout.

The DPP won by a narrow 300,000 votes in a pool of 13 million, causing many to protest that the assassination attempt was a ploy to swing the vote. Sun acknowledged the unpredictability of the elections, saying, “You never know what’s going to happen in the next few days.”

Several other KMT supporters voiced similar concerns that the last election was unfair. Community member Shiao-Yen Wu said she felt even more compelled to vote in this year’s election because of it.

Sun, who has been in Seattle for 38 years, is adamant about voting in U.S. elections also. He said that being an American citizen doesn’t preclude him from also caring about Taiwan’s fate.

Last week, John Chou, publisher of Asia Today, and also a local party organizer for the DPP, led a Seattle delegation of about 20 people back to Taiwan.

Overseas Taiwanese returning to vote are not just limited to an older generation, but also include many international students who feel a strong connection to their homeland. University of Washington graduate student Yi-Chen voted for current president Chen Shui-bian in the 2004 election and is returning to vote again for the DPP. He voiced concern that both the Legislature and the President would be from the same KMT party. This past January, the KMT won a landslide majority in the Legislature, which will play a role in determining the future of Taiwan’s international relations, regardless of which party the president is from.

If Ma wins, however, the KMT will be in a much stronger position to enact policy. “I don’t think it is good for Taiwan if the president is also from the KMT. I just want to see a more balanced situation,” he said.

Tzu-Yu Lin, also a graduate student at the University of Washington, is flying back to vote for the DPP. She admitted that though she believes the election is not really that important in the short-term, for others, it means a lot. She said, “My family cares about Taiwan’s politics and needs me to vote for them. They are willing to pay for my airfare and expenses so it means a lot to them.” She conceded, however, that “I think that the candidate from KMT will be elected. However, the situation between Mainland China and Taiwan will not change for the next four years.”

As international students, both Lin and Yi-Chen are ineligible to vote in the U.S. presidential elections. Flying back to their native Taiwan allows them to exercise their right to democracy, though one that requires a 15-hour plane ride across the Pacific.

Ruefully, graduate student Yi-Chen mused, “I tend to vote for the party that is more likely to lose. But though I know my single vote cannot change the whole election result, I simply want to express my love and concern for my home. Taiwan is my home country.”

Eleanor Lee and Assunta Ng contributed to this report.

Michelle Kang can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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