Wu Yinong, deputy chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party's Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang, attended the founding meeting of the election today (4th) and said in a speech that I believe everyone has seen a lot of the latest wave of smear attacks against Boyang in this election over the past day. Many years ago, Shen Boyang initiated some public discussions in order to prevent and control drugs and discuss the treatment of drug addicts, but now they are used to encourage drug abuse. Wu Yinong said that the most important thing about this election is to let everyone in Taipei City see that our politics can be positive and do not need to be smeared, smeared, or manipulated. We can talk about facts. This is what Boyang attaches most importance to in this election.
Wu Yinong said, I believe all of us will feel sad when seeing such a phenomenon, and I believe we are also very angry in our hearts. I believe that every one of us is very disappointed to see politics reduced to this level again. The issue of public health, an important policy that can change the most fragile and disadvantaged lives, can be distorted and manipulated because of elections. This is really the worst example for Taiwanese politics.
Wu Yinong said, but I want to tell everyone that there are still 8 weeks until the election. Unfortunately, in the next eight weeks, we will continue to see more and more of this situation. Why? Because the malicious propaganda is over? MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the United States conducted a study a long time ago. They found that false information, disinformation, and hate operations spread in the community 6 times faster than ordinary content. So we know it works, we know it will be exploited, and we know this is the reality we face.
This is why Boyang is so diligent in calling out the threat that false information poses to our democratic system. I hope everyone will remember that when he faced some serious challenges in Taiwan over the past few years, he spoke out loud to remind us. Because let me tell you, this is not a media issue, this is not a political issue, this is not a national defense issue, fake information is the core issue of our democracy!
This is why during this election, Boyang made a choice that I very much agree with. He chose a positive election. Through his political views, through his policies, and through his stance, he lets us see his intentions and his seriousness, making the biggest difference between him and his opponents. I know that Boyang was very moved when he heard everyone screaming for him in the background, because this path and this choice are not easy. But he knows not to do anything to win, and Shen Boyang knows not to destroy our democracy just for an election. That's why so many of us are here with him today, because we were all moved by him. To me, this is the core value of Boyang and the value of all of us.
Wu Yinong also mentioned that he has a senior media person who he respects very much. She won the Nobel Peace Prize a few years ago. Her name is Maria Ressa, a Filipino media person. She told us that if there are no facts in this society, we cannot have the truth; she tells us that if there is no truth in this society, we cannot have trust. If our society lacks facts, truth, and trust, then we cannot live in the same reality, we cannot reach consensus, and we cannot have a sound democracy.
Wu Yinong also asks everyone, in the last 8 weeks, I need you to be Boyang’s strongest support. You know that the turnout rate in local elections in the past was only 65%, which means that 1 out of every 3 people did not come out to vote. I hope you want to see which of your friends, relatives, and colleagues around you is someone who is gradually disappointed or doesn’t care about our affairs in Taipei City and Taiwan’s democracy? Who will not come out to vote on November 28th? Please find him and share with him how special this election is, how sincere and sincere our candidates are; share that this election is not about political party opposition, but a very important choice. I hope that together we can elect a politician who is thoughtful and truly cares about everyone.
