When the DPP’s Sharp-Tongued Politics Meets the Counterattack of “Homemade Steamed Buns” (Hillbillies)

 When the DPP’s Sharp-Tongued Politics Meets the Counterattack of “Homemade Steamed Buns” (Hillbillies)

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

March 6, 2019

 Translation of an Excerpt

Presidential Palace spokesperson Alex Huang indirectly ridiculed Kaohsiung City Mayor Han Kuo-yu as a "drunken homemade bun"; the ridicule at the spur of the moment not only made steamed buns suddenly a hot item, but also led Han Kuo-yu to ridicule himself as “head of homemade steamed buns.” From electoral campaign scenes, south to north, to airports in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, we witnessed the glimpses of protests against the ridicule of steamed buns, which could be compared to the legend of mooncakes containing the message “kill the Tatars on Mooncake Festival” during the Mongolian rule of the Yuan Dynasty, with voices of dissatisfaction heard everywhere against the rulers.

When homemade steamed buns became hot items, the crux was not the buns themselves, but the phrase "homemade," which revealed contempt and disdain. Just as Shen Fu-hsiung, a former DPP legislator, said, in the progression of democratization, those who could break through were all relatively radical, sharp-tongued, and even of bellicose character. This kind of character, "bent on attack when he’s right and never conceding when he’s wrong,” ever since the defense lawyers team of the Formosa Magazine incident, has been deeply buried in the bones of the DPP.

The DPP’s character of sharp-tongued politics, as demonstrated in actual politics, has several obvious characteristics. First, never concede defeat. With the disastrous electoral defeat last year-end, the DPP repeatedly claimed to conduct soul-searching, but in the end, it formed an "Avengers League," allowing the losers to be promoted to the central government and using power to threaten the victors and suppress public opinion. Second, never admit mistakes to the end. For the pole vaunt jump of Han Kuo-yu in Kaohsiung, DPP New Tide faction Tuan Yi-kang’s vehement criticisms against Han were instrumental; now Lin Cho-shui is harming Han in relay, saying “I despise him” all the time, even worse than "homemade steamed buns." Third, never correct mistakes. After the adoption of plebiscites on energy policy and same-sex marriage, the Tsai government still insists on ignoring public opinion, refusing to "use nuclear power temporarily to nurture green energy" and continuing to allow the onslaught of air pollution. In the bill for same-sex marriage, the Tsai government has adopted a completely unrecognizable title. In the matter of cross-Strait policy, the recalcitrant Tsai government still uses radical language, not minding whether it leads Taiwan to the battlefield, without an iota of consideration for democracy or people's livelihood.

The DPP has been in power twice, but it is still employing crude and high-handed approaches to deal with the public and political rivals, like rule by hooligans. The DPP has put Han Kuo-yu in a straight jacket, as if crowning local government chiefs with a restraining mantra; various acts against public opinion only add fuel to the fire of popular grievances and make the "Han Kuo-yu vogue" rise even higher. In all fairness, Han Kuo-yu has just come to office and has yet to produce any surprising achievements in governance; however, his enthusiasm in emphasizing public opinion and striving for the people's livelihood has left the DPP far behind. In the past, the DPP criticized the Ma Ying-jeou government, saying "You cannot wake up someone who is feigning to be asleep”; now, the Tsai government is precisely “the one who is feigning to be asleep." If the DPP does not understand the "heart of homemade steamed buns," then let the "hate the DPP" become an even bigger party!

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