TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chair Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) hope that local party chapters can become more attractive to young Taiwanese is slowly coming to fruition as the next generation of DPP politicians uses different strategies aimed at rejuvenating the party.
CNA interviewed four DPP chapter heads to see how their policies differ from those of previous decades.
When Li Wen (李問) was running in the Lienchiang County legislative elections last year, he wore a large promotional balloon on his back as part of his campaign, earning him the nickname “balloon brother.” Having previously taught English to children around Lienchiang, Li said he has continued to provide English lessons across the county’s many islands from time to time since becoming head of the local DPP chapter.
Many young people in Hsinchu have decided to try their luck with entrepreneurship in the foodservice and creative industries, according to Chen Chien-ming (陳建名), head of the DPP’s Hsinchu City chapter.
He pointed out that in order to prevent young Taiwanese from "working aimlessly," he called on lawyers, accountants, and human resources experts to form a new support team to promote creativity and provide legal, tax, human resource, employment, and other consulting services to entrepreneurs.
Chen mentioned that Hsinchu is very similar to Taipei in that most voters are not “deep blue” or “deep green” but actually at the middle of the political spectrum. He has set up mobile service stations to provide immediate, in-person services and receive complaints.
In addition, the Hsinchu City chapter has launched a series of classes, including arts and crafts courses for parents and children, Japanese lessons, Hakka lessons, depression treatment courses, and many more.
Ho Po-wen (何博文), head of the party’s New Taipei City chapter, stated that he intends to set up 29 district liaison offices. So far, he has established 22.
Ho said that the main function of these offices is to allow the public to immediately express their opinions. The director and deputy director of the liaison office can be contacted at any time, and the party chapter is also able to share public opinion with party members to address pressing issues.
Ho said people used to think New Taipei City’s DPP affairs system is just there to promote policies and that it is targeted at the elderly. However, this is not the case.
After he became the chapter head, Ho organized casual softball games, family carnivals, and three-on-three basketball games. This wide variety of activities allows young parents with children, grandparents, and grandchildren to have fun together.
Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), head of the DPP's Kaohsiung City chapter, emphasized the importance of grassroots communication. He said that he has set up a team of experts to streamline communication channels, allowing local residents to share their opinions and concerns more easily with the city government. He also asked the party chapter to redesign its logo, uniforms, and other things to change the image of the DPP.
