Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

It is said that in big cities, social welfare organizations assist the poor, but it is a fact that the poor are often ignored by the law simply because they only have a small amount of money in savings.

This is precisely why people like Huang Yi-hua (黃怡華) — who goes by the nickname “Sweet Potato mama” and is a member of independent Taipei mayor-elect Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) team of advisers — came out strongly in support of Ko, saying that he is their only hope of turning their lives around.

In any youthful and developing democracy, elections — even local ones — raise the formative issues of identity and national direction.

Taiwan’s nine-in-one elections have certainly proved to be no exception. In these elections, one party in particular, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has gone out of its way to resurrect questionable “race cards” and “loyalty cards,” as it tried to force its version of the nation’s history and identity on the public along with its candidates. Accusations such as “traitor” and “bastard” — as well as the implication that only KMT candidates would be able to work together on intercity issues — have brought these elections to an all-time low.