Cablegate: Southern Students Want Change in Local Administration

VZCZCXRO2347
PP RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHIN #4006/01 3340921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 300921Z NOV 06
FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3251
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 6017
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0589
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1557
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 5529
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 9772
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 7243

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 004006

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIT/W, EAP/TC, INR/EAP, EAP/PD

FROM AIT KAOHSIUNG BRANCH OFFICE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL TW
SUBJECT: Southern Students Want Change in Local Administration

REF: 2005 TAIPEI 3856

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.

Summary
-------

1. (SBU) AIT/K representatives recently discussed the upcoming
Kaoshiung mayoral election with 25 third-year university students of
voting age at a local university. Those eligible to vote in the
Kaohsiung election are highly motivated to vote, although those who
would have to return to Taipei to vote were less inclined to do so.
The majority of the students said President Chen's recent troubles
with corruption and the perception that the DPP has underperformed
on the economy act as major catalysts for Taiwan's youth to vote for
a change of party during the upcoming election. The students
rejected the assertion they are easily taken in by mass media.

Planning to Vote Their Own Minds
---------------------------------

2. (SBU) In a recent discussion with local students on voting,
AIT/K representatives talked to students who fall in the 20 to 21
years old age range. Eleven of the students hail from Kaohsiung,
making them eligible to vote in the upcoming Kaohsiung mayoral
election on December 9, and of the 11, eight told AIT/K they plan to
vote. Those who told AIT/K they will vote plan to do so because
it's their first chance to exercise their right to vote; Taiwan's
minimum voting age is 20. A few reported receiving guidance from
their parents on which party and candidate to vote for, but said
they were willing to mislead their parents in order to select their
own preferred candidate.

Voting Against the Incumbent Party
-----------------------------------

3. (SBU) The majority of the students reported being disappointed
with the DPP's performance and said they plan to vote for a change
of government. They highlighted corruption as a trigger for their
decision to vote against the DPP candidate and specifically
mentioned the Kaohsiung metro, the high-speed rail project, and
foreign labor riots (reftel) as particularly alarming. When asked
to highlight positive aspects of the DPP's reign, the students
mentioned that the DPP had made progress toward correcting the
resource imbalance between northern and southern Taiwan. Others
highlighted the construction of parks and other beautification
improvements around Kaohsiung. Yet another added that
infrastructure construction in Taipei during the KMT's rule was more
corrupt and took longer to complete than projects being managed
during the DPP's reign. However, some students added the DPP's
positive actions should be viewed as electioneering, since no
serious structural changes have occurred during its years in power.
KMT political figures and their staffers are better educated and
more experienced than their DPP counterparts, said another student,
concluding that the KMT is better positioned to rule Taiwan.

The Chen Factor
---------------

4. (SBU) Several students connected their disappointment with
President Chen and their anti-DPP votes, saying that the corruption
surrounding the President fuels their dislike of DPP candidates.
Lumping President Chen with DPP candidates, one student cited the
DPP's willingness to "push China's buttons" by furthering Taiwan
independence as a disincentive to vote for DPP candidates. Besides,
added another, the increasing allegations of corruption indicate
that the DPP has paid a disproportionate amount of attention to
increasing its power, to the detriment of Taiwan and its people.

The Young and the Media
-----------------------

5. (SBU) Most of the students expressed disappointment in Taiwan's
media, saying television news is too repetitive, and tends toward
tabloid-quality coverage rather than good reporting. The majority
believe that they're able to discern good reporting from bad and
deny the common belief that because of their youth, they're easily
swayed by popular media. One student credited the critical training
she receives at university for her ability to decipher good news
from bad. She added that she prefers browsing international
internet media to reading local papers. Another added that Taiwan
youth's lack of enthusiasm for politics derives from the belief that

TAIPEI 00004006 002 OF 002

they are powerless to change the status quo, not from lack of
caring.

Unofficial Poll Results
------------------------

6. (SBU) During the meeting, AIT/K took an unofficial poll of the
students, which 16 of them completed. Of the 16, five
self-identified as DPP supporters, seven as KMT, one as TSU, and two
as non-affiliated. When asked how they might vote in the upcoming
election, four said they'd vote for DPP candidate Chen Chu, eight
would vote for KMT candidate Huang Chun-ying, one would vote for TSU
candidate Lo Chih-ming, and two said they wouldn't vote for any of
the three.

Comment
--------

7. (SBU) The youth vote on which the DPP has relied so heavily in
the past may not be with the party this time during the Kaohsiung
mayoral election. Disappointment with the DPP over corruption and
the economy may not inspire the students to vote for the KMT because
they support that party, but may encourage them to vote against the
local ruling party, the DPP.

THIELE

YOUNG

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