Speaking of the answers to questions nobody was asking, Annette Lu has filed to run for president.
My favorite was when she told the Mandela-era South African ambassador, who was switching recognition to Beijing, that they should be more grateful to Taiwan for all the support and recognition Taiwan (under the KMT) gave to the former apartheid government.
Or when, as Vice President, she advised Indigenous people in Taiwan who were seriously affected by a typhoon to immigrate to one of our diplomatic allies in Central America!
Guy
For those into such things, Brian Hioe at New Bloom provides some analysis, stating that Lu “proves the perfect illustration of how many of yesterday’s revolutionaries have become today’s reactionaries in contemporary Taiwan.”
Source: https://newbloommag.net/2019/09/20/annette-lu-conservative-shift/
Guy
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For a different viewpoint . . .
The Paul Huang piece linked above is actually the target of Hioe’s article as he underlines what Huang elides: all the conservative (especially racist and homophobic) things Lu has said and done since her active participation in the dangwai movement in the 1970s and 1980s.
Hioe’s brutal conclusion:
The joke among many youth activists become that [the older democracy activists such as Lu] should just quickly die off for the sake of Taiwan’s continued survival. This is an ironic—and quite a sad—accusation directed toward those who sacrificed years of their lives and undertook great personal risks to realize democracy in Taiwan.
However, unfortunately, such individuals may, in fact, have become a threat to the continued preservation of democracy in Taiwan. For those who have long since served their historical roles, but stuck around on the stage of history long past their roles had already expired, the dustbin of history may be indeed where they belong.
Buyer beware!
Guy
A phrase popularized by Trotsky, widely used by the Soviets, copied by Reagan. Seems like for Brian Hioe anybody who deviates from the official green/DPP/Tsai party line is a turncoat and backstabber that belongs to the dustbin of history and is a danger to democracy. He sounds like an apparatchik.
I think his point is that progressive notions of Taiwan are shifting. Lu may have been viewed as “progressive” earlier in her life but for the past twenty years her anti-gay, anti-Indigenous positions have made her seem increasingly reactionary.
Of course there are huge contentions and debates across the political spectrum. If you read Hioe on the New Power Party and its many schisms, you’ll see he’s attuned to these nuances too. Just with Lu, there are very few nuances!
Guy
Sounds like for ppl like Brian and others anti-China equals progressive and any kind of cooperation with ppl across the green/blue divide is “treason”. It is a narrow-minded view. Does that mean that somebody like highly respected Linda Arrigo who supports negotiation with China before it is too late, belongs to the dustbin of history as well?
I suspect you and I are reading Hioe differently. I see more nuance and less certainty in his work than you do. Feel free to critique his assessment of the Huang article and his analysis of Lu and her generation and why they are highly unpopular with young activists. It’s interesting to ask: why? I don’t know anyone writing in English today that is asking these kinds of questions in such detail. Again, if you find these sorts of questions tedious, that’s your right. But I think that in probing these issues, Hioe is onto something.
Guy
I agree, he is certainly a busy and active writer. It’d be nice if there was more non-biased, non-partisan writing about Taiwan’s political scene.
It is ironic how those people who were hailed as heroes and sacrificed so much to the cause of Taiwan democracy have turned into desperate attention and power seekers who damage such democratic principles greatly.
Look at Shih Ming-deh, one would have thought that his crusade to denounce corruption was legit. Yet it devolved into playdough for the blues, as did he.
Same with Annette. She does not carry respect and personal impression is indeed she is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. Everyone justifies her outbursts as PTSD, but she has been at the helm before and it did not turn out well.
Personally, I also do not believe you can negotiate with China, which has rejected all previous signed accords with everyone. China believes negotiations are for the weak and will stomp on anyone who thinks they are safe behind signed papers. For the same reason, neutrality is not applicable here, as it would require an opponent with a modicum of morals and accountability, of which China leadership has none.
And as per legend, the blues did sign an accord to give Taiwan over to China and keep them as stewards, or so has been the tale going around Overseas communities.
I understand everyone’s views above and respect them.
Here’s my 
on the 2 main issues.
Annette Lu’s opinion is homosexuality is wrong (I am not here to debate this), but she wants to hold a referendum for Taiwan independence.
Tsai Ing-wen won the right for homosexuals to marry, but harbors zero thoughts or spoken words that even come close to thinking about independence.
So, most young DPPers do not care about independence. They’d rather fight for “feel-good” rights and not liberty and independence, which would actually allow them to get those “feel-good” rights. So, the youngsters are running backwards, not forwards.
P.S. Annette won’t get but maybe 1% of vote.
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Well, there’s feel-good, and then there’s feel-good.
You can aim for targets that are within reach, and that might feel good. You can aim for windmills, and that might feel good too. But they’re not the same kind of feeling.
This woman shouldn’t waste her valuable time and energy!
I don’t think that’s a correct characterization of young voters, and also not at all why Annette Lu is going to fail. There are more young people recognizing that Taiwan has to be independent to protect the hard earned liberty they grew up enjoying.
They also see right through Annette Lu and her so called “more pro-Independence” Peace and Joy Party as simply ex-DPPers unhappy with socially progressive stance of the Tsai administration. Like you said, youngsters like to fight for “feel-good” rights, but independence is not mutually exclusive from social justice, that’s just what the ex-DPP Christian fundamentalists would like others to believe.
It’s so odd that of all people, Annette Lu would be so vocal about anti-marriage equality. She was made fun of by her political opponents all the time. In fact, all DPP female politician who hasn’t marriage had their sexuality questioned and made light of. If anyone should be sympathetic towards those who are really being discriminated, you’d think Annette Lu would be that person, and be their champion even.
Anyway, most people, including young voters, would remember the series of gaffs by Annette Lu, damaging the DPP image since 2000. She often appears oblivious to the consequences of her words and actions, and could careless what the plight her actions caused her coworkers or constituents.
I think Tsai is very intelligent about how to leverage the referendum, and an independence referendum can’t be held unless she knows the system is now working, and she would have international backing.
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What effect will Annette Lu’s candidacy have on the upcoming presidential election? After looking at (limited) polling data, Nathan Batto at Frozen Garlic concludes: not much.
Guy