Akio Yaita: "Breaking the circle" at Shen Boyang's campaign headquarters inauguration meeting is the key, and the current may upgrade Taiwan's political culture

The inauguration meeting of the campaign headquarters of DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang was held on the 4th. The organizer announced that there were more than 120,000 people present. Akio Yaita, CEO of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Think Tank and a senior Japanese media person, believes that the key to this event that is more worthy of observation than the actual number of attendees is "breaking the circle"; he also pointed out that "ocean currents" are continuing to expand, and there may be opportunities to upgrade Taiwan's political culture.

Akio Yaita posted on the Facebook fan page "Akio Yaita Club" that each camp often has its own way of calculating the number of people attending election campaign events. Some people may not agree with the numbers announced by the organizers, but he believes that what is really worthy of attention is not how many people came, but the word "breaking the circle."

Please read on...

He said that the event took place on Beiping East Road next to the Central Party Headquarters of the Democratic Progressive Party, but a campaign headquarters inauguration meeting was held that was "unlike the traditional DPP campaign". In addition to DPP politicians, recommenders on stage also include former People's Party spokesperson Wu Kunyu, documentary director Yang Lizhou, and architect Lin Zhoumin, who was the director of the Taipei City Government's Urban Development Bureau. There was even a well-known host Tsai Kang-yong in the audience.

Akio Yaita pointed out that the crowd at the scene was also different. Many young people made their own "crew cards", wore marine-style clothes, and created their own symbols. Rather than the political parties preparing flags and slogans in advance and mobilizing supporters to attend, participants themselves join in, create their own creations, and spread their own propaganda, attracting people who are not originally in the same circle.

He believes that this is the most special thing about "Ocean Current" and is especially important to the DPP. The DPP has never lacked a basic base or the ability to organize and mobilize. The real problem has always been how to get those who do not consider themselves to be supporters of the DPP to be willing to enter this arena.

Akio Yaita pointed out that one of Tsai Ing-wen's most important political abilities in the past was to break through the original boundaries of the Democratic Progressive Party. During the 2020 presidential election, Tsai Ing-wen received 53.65% of the votes in Taipei City, proving that the so-called "blue is greater than green in Taipei" is not an iron law that cannot be changed.

He said that the real key to this election is whether more people "outside the circle" are willing to join.

When it comes to the name "Ocean Current", Akio Yaita believes that it is very good. The meaning is not to "dye the original green deeper", but to allow water of different colors and different directions to begin to gather and flow in the same direction.

Akio Yaita finally said that this "ocean current" is continuing to expand, and what is about to change may not only be the Taipei mayoral election, but "perhaps the upgrade of the entire political culture of Taiwan."