TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taipei mayor and current presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was interviewed by Storm Media on Sunday (April 2) to discuss the upcoming election and his campaign platform.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko said he carefully considered his campaign policies for the election, which can be summarized by two slogans. For domestic politics, Ko seeks to form a "coalition government to unite Taiwan," and for foreign policy, his goal is to "maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and safeguard Taiwan’s autonomy."
On cross-strait relations, Ko has adopted a policy of “Five Mutuals,” which will guide his administration’s interactions with China. These include mutual acknowledgement, mutual understanding, mutual respect, mutual cooperation, and the most difficult to establish, according to Ko, is mutual absolution. Ko believes if these five items are pursued sincerely, then Taiwan’s relations with China will greatly improve.
By staking out a middle path, Ko hopes to appeal to both supporters of the green DPP camp and the blue KMT camp. Ko believes he and the TPP are the most capable of leading a coalition government that can unite both sides of Taiwan’s political aisle.
When asked about his expectations for legislators representing the TPP in the upcoming national elections, Ko said that he anticipates the party winning at least eight seats in the Legislative Yuan. “Eight is a low goal; if we can not win eight, then it will amount to a loss,” he said.
Ko was also asked by the host of the interview, Huang Wei-han (黃暐瀚), about his thoughts on recent polling. Currently, Ko polls at about 18 to 20% support, in comparison to Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who surpassed the 40% mark for support in two recent polls.
Ko acknowledged that he needs more support to have a chance at the presidency. While he expects his numbers to steadily improve over the coming months, Ko also declared that a vote share of “40% is a sure win.”
In the anticipated three-way race between Lai, Ko, and a Kuomintang (KMT) candidate, who has not yet been decided, Ko said that no candidate should expect to receive more than 40% of the vote. Therefore, while Lai seems to be in the lead, a candidate must fight to stay ahead, as even 34% may not be enough to win.
Ko was also asked about New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) as a potential candidate for the KMT. While Hou may seem like a strong candidate as the mayor of New Taipei, Ko said Hou should consider his decision carefully and be weary of any potential disasters or scandals which may occur between now and the election.
According to Ko, if Hou’s attention is diverted away from the people of New Taipei, and an earthquake or typhoon strikes, it could easily damage his support and his electoral chances.