Blue-White Alliance Breaks Down in Zhubei as Parties Clash Over Primary Support

The “blue-white” opposition alliance in Zhubei has broken down, with the two parties trading accusations immediately after candidate registration for Taiwan’s year-end local elections.

Hsu Hsin-ying, the Kuomintang’s nominee for Hsinchu County magistrate, said in an interview that she had not received a concrete pledge from the Taiwan People’s Party to support a primary. She also denied that the Kuomintang had offered to give way in the Zhubei mayoral race.

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Her remarks have created a huge gap with the facts and clearly eroded trust between the two parties.

Those remarks drew a sharp response from TPP Secretary-General Chou Yu-hsiu. He said Hsu’s account differed dramatically from the facts and had damaged the trust the two parties had built over the past two years. He accused her of failing to keep her word in negotiations over cooperation in Zhubei, saying the dispute had already affected opposition coordination across Taiwan.

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It is surprising and disappointing.

Chou said the TPP had responded with patience and sincerity whenever Hsu and the Kuomintang central organization presented new issues, explanations or reasons during the talks. Even after the negotiations failed to produce the desired result, he said, the party had chosen to act on the basis of integrity while preserving its political independence.

He expressed dismay that Hsu had presented the process in reverse after registration closed, saying her comments were not factual and dismissed the efforts of people who had tried to make cooperation possible. Chou urged her to show greater restraint, focus on substantive policy proposals and think carefully before speaking.

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Please think carefully, and please choose your words carefully.