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December 2002
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As part of the team’s duties as an election observer, Wen and the other members met with candidates and their representatives at their campaign headquarters, heard candidates’ platforms, and asked questions. On Election Day, Wen and the observation group watched voters cast their ballots in the morning and watched as the ballots were counted by election officials in the evening. The whole team also met with senior officials from National Security Council, Mainland Affairs Council, The Legislature Yuan (equivalent to the Congress in the United States), Straits Exchange Foundation, and some scholars and experts on elections from the National Taiwan University and other higher educational institutes. The discussions conducted during the meetings were focused on Taiwan’s democratization experiences and the remaining issues.

Wen says that the election process resembles elections in the United States in many respects. Each vote is counted by two people in the presence of a police officer and a representative from each party. Wen, however, also noticed some sharp contrasts to elections in the United States. Wen says bribery remains a factor in some, especially rural, areas of Taiwan and there is much more emphasis placed on candidates’ provincial backgrounds and nationalism. 

“In Taiwan, provincial background is a very sensitive issue and some politicians would utilize this, which I think is a sign that the democracy in Taiwan is still immature. The whole island has not reached a consensus on its identity in relation to Mainland China.” Wen says. “I think in local elections politicians should be focused on public policy differences instead of their opponents’ provincial background, i.e., whether they are indigenous to Taiwan or from Mainland China.” Wen says this strategy of candidates questioning their opponents’ nationalism becomes increasingly ineffective when fewer and fewer people feel that their political participation is barred because of their provincial background. Today, he explains, very few constituents are truly indigenous to Taiwan. The ancestors of the majority came in waves to the island from Mainland China 300-400 years ago, he says. Younger generations, Wen says, were worried about the economy, rather than politicians’ provincial background. 

The election results, described by the Taipei Times as “a foregone conclusion in Taipei and a small surprise in Kaohsiung,” found charismatic incumbent KMT candidate Ma Ying-jeou victorious in Taipei and DPP candidate Frank Hsieh the winner by a narrow margin in Kaohsiung. 

“It was a very educational experience to see that Taiwan’s mayoral election was conducted in such a peaceful and orderly way. I hope that the democracy in Taiwan can become mature as soon as possible so it will become a convincing model to Mainland China,” Wen says. “Many in Mainland China worry about so-called ‘possible loss of control’ and social disorder if democracy is introduced in a rush. Taiwan’s success will help dissipate such an ungrounded fear.”

Wen says a colleague at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, recommended him for the observation group. The group, whose members were all natives of Mainland China, was a mix of experts drawn from the fields of higher education, law, film, business, and public policy. Wen served as the team head after being elected by all the other members for the observation.

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