TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid concerns that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would dominate Taiwanese politics after the once-mighty Kuomintang (KMT) Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was voted out of office in Kaohsiung, veteran DPP statesman Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) on Wednesday (June 10) stressed the importance of a two-party system to the country's democracy.
Last Saturday (June 6), Han suffered a devastating defeat in the vote to remove him from Kaohsiung City Hall, making him the first municipality leader in Taiwan's history to be recalled. Meanwhile, a recent poll conducted by the independence-leaning Taiwan Brain Trust also indicated that support for the KMT has dropped to a historic low of 9.2 percent.
During a press conference organized by the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation (TNC) on Thursday (June 11), Koo said he is personally opposed to the idea of a one-party system. He pointed out that Taiwan should have at least two legitimate parties to determine its future and that one-party rule would not be beneficial to the island nation's development.
The 95-year-old former presidential office advisor stressed that the KMT's influence is gradually disappearing and that it must readjust its focus on Taiwan if it wants to survive. He added that he has advised former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to establish a “Taiwan KMT” and prioritize the Taiwanese population's welfare, reported Yahoo News.
Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) also said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the DPP should not be given all the power to decide on the country's national affairs without an equally influential opposition. He also expressed hope that Taiwan would maintain its freedom and not follow in China's footsteps, according to Liberty Times.
In response to Koo and Ko's remarks, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) brushed off the notion of total DPP political control and said that the Taiwanese people would eliminate the party if it failed to meet their expectations. She said the value of the country's democratic system lies in the public's ability to voice its opinions through elections and that the people are the real owners of the country, reported New Talk.