Scrap old politics – let’s forge a new third force made up of Environmental Protection and Labour

2007 / 12 / 31

(Adaptation of Green Party Taiwan November press release棄絕舊政治---打造環保與勞工的第三勢力21.12.07)

Taiwan Green Party’s Election Logo is based on the Italian Green Party Logo, the two Chinese characters from left to right are “green” and “political party”

On the eve of the registration deadline for Taiwan’s national legislative elections , the Green Party Taiwan (Taiwan Greens) and the Raging Citizens Act Now alliance (RCAN) announced their joint list of nominees to vie for the 34 legislator-at-large seats. The nominees in order are CHEN Manli, CHANG Huishan, CHANG Honglin and WANG Fangping. With the organization of a third force already a hot topic, this new union is one option to break the stranglehold on the nation currently being experienced due to the incessant bickering between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on non-issues. Both parties, the KMT for 55 years and then the DPP for 8 years have shown themselves to experts at nothing other than colluding with business to fritter away the nation’s future. 

The new “green-red” alliance is one of nine parties consituting the “third force” that is challenging the current KMT/DPP power duopoly. The third force seeks to mobilize voters who are not only tired of the so-called “blue-green (KMT v DPP) hostility”, but who are looking for a new socially progressive force that will work to forge new values and meaning from within the old mud of an irrational election system.

Environmental conservation and labour movement groups had been discussing joint election participation for many months, but maintained a very low-key profile, believing that communication within and between the two groups to be more important than a single day of media coverage. This 

new style distinguishes it considerably from traditional Taiwan politics. And in fact, looking at the development of the European Green Parties, the cooperation between the green conservation movement and the red labour movement is by no means unusual. Also, in Taiwan, before nearly four decades of martial law ended in 1987, the environmental and labour movements worked together regularly. Both parties emphasise that this is not a short-term union, but rather the start of a renewed consolidation of socially progressive forces.

With the cooperation the GPT adjusted its at-large candidate list, adding RCAN’s Ms. WANG Fanping, a grassroots labour movement organizer for twenty years and well known for her promotion of minority and labour rights. RCAN also announced that their two district candidates, WANG Singjh and KO Yimin, both long-time labour rights activists will also run under the Green Party banner, bringing the total of district candidates to ten around the nation.

The other Green Party district candidates include, PAN Hansheng, Sandra PENG and TSENG Jinpei, who along with RCAN’s KO Yimin are running for representation in Taipei City; HSU Wenyan and Calvin WEN are running in Taipei County; and three other candidates join WANG Singjh in running outside of greater Taipei, CHUNG Baojhu, HUANG Shangu, and LIN Ruisia are vying for seats in Hualian, Yunlin and Chiayi counties respectively. 

The Taiwan Greens expressed regret that CHEN Yufong, generally regarded as the spiritual leader of Taiwan’s environmental movement, had been “stolen away” by the Taiwan Solidarity Union and was no longer on the list of their nominees. However, Executive Secretary PAN Hansheng said stated that Chen’s long term moral support to the Taiwan Greens and the change would not have a negative impact on the third force’s challenge to the KMT and DPP 

Although some members of the third force have resorted to traditional political maneuverings, which can only undermine the chances for a successful challenge, the Taiwan Greens are confident that the “third force” and the “new political force” can pull together to rid Taiwan of narrow, dualistic political thinking. 

We hereby call upon members of the public who are tired of the same old pork-barrel/people be damned politics to come out on January 12 and vote for the Taiwan Greens. We thank all of you who marched with us and the Raging Citizens Action Now in the December 8th rally against global warming and the December 9th march for migrant workers’ rights to a day off.

The new politics promoted by the Taiwan Greens and RCAN will act for social and environmental justice on behalf of all people whether or not they have the right to vote, on behalf of all Taiwans’ beings, and on behalf of future generations of humans and all others.

WANG Fangping of the Raging Citizens Act Now preparing to enter the Election Commission to draw the party number (the Taiwan Greens are “lucky 7”) 

News contact person: Green Party Taiwan PAN Hansheng 0935-295815; Raging Citizens Act Now LAI Siangling 0935-452410
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