SEAN LIEN, son of Taiwan’s former vice-president Lien Chan, was shot in the face and wounded at a rally yesterday on the eve of mayoral elections on the self-ruled island, but the shooting appeared not to be politically motivated.
Mr Lien (40), a member of the ruling KMT or Nationalist party’s central committee, was taken to hospital to undergo emergency surgery but his life was not in danger, according to local media.
The National Police Agency later said a 29-year-old man was also shot at the rally, but died on the way to a hospital. It identified the shooter as Lin Cheng-wei.
Today sees a poll for mayors of Taiwan’s biggest cities after a lengthy campaign which focused on traditional local government issues, such as petty corruption, but also featured broader questions such as growing closeness across the Strait of Taiwan.
President Ma Ying-jeou has been instrumental in introducing closer economic and political relations with Beijing. But his KMT party is getting a tough ride from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which wants a less conciliatory approach with China.
Mr Lien was speaking at a rally for a ruling party candidate outside Taipei city when a man came up on the stage and fired at close range, hitting him in the face.
The gunman was arrested shortly afterwards and the assailant was apparently a member of a gang and seemed to have no political motive.
Taiwanese politics is famously boisterous – there are regular fisticuffs in the parliament building, and people seem to take real pleasure in exercising their democratic mandate.
At the same time, the political process is deeply marginalised and split into factions, and wildly partisan voting patterns can lead to huge swings in public opinion.
The five cities in the poll – Taipei, Sinbei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tainan – together comprise about three-fifths of Taiwan’s population.
Friday’s gunfire had eerie echoes of the 2004 presidential election campaign, when candidate Chen Shui-bian was wounded by a gunshot while campaigning.
He went on to win the election, but the KMT has always maintained that the attack was rigged to help boost his party’s lagging fortunes.
The Lien family are one of the blue-blood clans of Taiwanese politics. Mr Lien became the island’s first premier from a Taiwan family in 1993, after serving as communications minister, vice premier, foreign minister and provincial governor.
Of crucial importance is the mayoralty of Taipei, where the DPP candidate is Su Tseng-chang. Becoming mayor of Taipei can be a major step towards higher things – Ma Ying-jeou is a former mayor of Taipei. (Additional reporting: Bloomberg)