How many debates should Jiang Wanan and Shen Boyang have? Ke Wenzhe: It’s not easy to hold one

Former Taipei Mayor and former People's Party Chairman Ko Wenzhe attended the "People's Taipei Team" election draw today and talked about the upcoming TV debate between Chiang Wanan and Shen Boyang. (Photo by reporter Tian Yuhua)

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan and Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang will hold a televised debate on the 31st. Shen advocates that the more debates the better, Chiang first stated that he would hold one as usual, and later said that he would not exclude more debates. Former Taipei Mayor and former People's Party Chairman Ko Wenzhe attended the "People's Taipei Team" election draw today and said that the debate not only tests the candidate's ability, but is also affected by television presentation and voters' perceptions. However, voters should not just watch the 30 minutes or one hour of the debate day, but should also examine the candidates' words, deeds, and policy performance in the past few years.

Ko Wenzhe took the television debate between former U.S. President Kennedy and Richard Nixon as an example and pointed out that if it was only broadcast through radio, voters may have different perceptions; but through television, the results may also change. He admitted that democratic politics ultimately requires votes. A candidate's debate performance will indeed affect voters' judgment, but more importantly, "it is not just based on what he said, but also based on what he did." What the candidate has done over the years should be comprehensively examined, rather than determined by one debate.

Talking about Shen Boyang's advocate that the more debates the better, Ke Wenzhe believed that the number of debates was not decided unilaterally, but must be agreed upon by both parties. In his experience, "it is not easy to hold one." He said that just which TV station should be held, who should be the host, how to set the rules for questions, and how to allocate time for each question may cause coordination disputes.

Ko Wenzhe pointed out that now is the Internet age, and there is information available for review on what candidates have said and done in the past. People should learn more about it and think carefully, and do not have to rely solely on the moment of the debate.