Ko Wen-je on blue-white cooperation: Rely on your own strength, but do not fight when cooperation is possible

Taiwan People’s Party founder Ko Wen-je offered a pragmatic formula for the party’s relationship with the Kuomintang: cooperate when cooperation is possible, compete when competition is necessary, but do not turn a potential partnership into a fight.

Ko made the comments in Pingtung while accompanying Lin Yu-hsien to register as a candidate for county council. Reporters asked whether what they described as excessive Kuomintang nominations in the district could damage the “blue-white” cooperation between the two parties.

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When we can cooperate, we should cooperate. When we need to compete, we still need to compete. But refusing to cooperate when cooperation is possible is wrong.

Ko said most parties, including the Democratic Progressive Party, had generally nominated as many candidates as possible in multi-seat elections. Each party, he said, still needed to preserve its own identity and independence. The broader strategy should therefore combine cooperation and competition, rather than opposition at every stage.

Pingtung’s first electoral district has 12 seats. Ko said he remained confident that voters supporting the Taiwan People’s Party and Taiwan’s third force would concentrate their ballots. But he also stressed that the party could not depend entirely on others. “The Taiwan People’s Party must grow and become stronger through its own efforts,” he said. “That is our own responsibility and obligation. We cannot rely on others for everything.” Ko added that Lin Yu-hsien had worked in the local community for many years and should have no problem.

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The Taiwan People’s Party must grow and become stronger through its own efforts. That is our own responsibility and obligation. We cannot rely on others for everything.