TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation Chair You Ying-lung (游盈隆) publicly criticized Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Puma Shen (沈伯洋) on Tuesday for his role in the failed recall elections on Saturday, accusing him of politicizing national security concerns.
Shen, who played a prominent role in organizing the recall campaign, said Monday that the DPP and the government need to improve how they communicate with the public, per Liberty Times. In response to claims that the party relied too heavily on fearmongering about China, Shen said such criticism was intended to discourage discussion of real threats.
You, however, accused Shen of overusing cross-strait tensions as a political weapon, per NOWnews. He claimed Shen had “abused the cause of resisting China and defending Taiwan” to attack political opponents who simply held different views.
According to You, Shen’s tactics contributed to growing public discontent, referencing a July Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation poll that showed most respondents did not believe the recall results were tied to Taiwan’s survival or security. He also questioned whether Shen was behind a controversial post from the official DPP legislative caucus Facebook account that appeared to praise South Korea’s brief flirtation with martial law.
You called on Shen to resign and criticized President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) for promoting him to a prominent role in the party.
Liu Ching-yi (劉靜怡), a researcher at the Institutum Iurisprudentiae at Academia Sinica, echoed You’s criticism, per UDN. She described Shen as a divisive and inflammatory figure and accused him and the DPP caucus of slandering political opponents by labeling them as pro-China or colluding with the Chinese Communist Party.
Liu, who has been blacklisted by the Hong Kong government, said she herself was accused of CCP ties by the caucus.
Despite the criticism, You said the issue was not public disbelief in the China threat but rather Shen’s exploitation of a legitimate concern for partisan gain, per UDN. Tunghai University political scientist Qiu Shi-yi (邱師儀) said the DPP should reconsider its tendency to brand every opposition lawmaker as pro-CCP, warning that such tactics may backfire.
A DPP insider told UDN that when public dissatisfaction over economic issues is high, it becomes more difficult for the ruling party to convince voters it is also capable of handling national security.
