On the right is the well-known host Cai Kangyong. (Picture taken from Wu Xindai’s Facebook)
Well-known host Tsai Kang-yong was boycotted by Chinese netizens and eagerly cut off by cooperating manufacturers due to his appearance at the campaign event of Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang. Wu Xindai, Taiwan's candidate for Taipei Neihu and Nangang District City Council, said today (5) that this incident fully exposed China's nationalistic mentality of inferiority and a glassy heart. She pointed out that what really caused Taiwanese society to be vigilant about this incident was not whether Tsai Kang-yong supported a specific candidate, but that a Taiwanese host was blocked and commercially retaliated in China just for personally experiencing the atmosphere of the scene and listening to the opinions of all parties.
Wu Xindai said that Cai Kangyong had explained to the outside world that he went to the scene to "see it" and to serve as homework for future interviews with different candidates if he had the opportunity. He highly recognized Cai Kangyong's hosting expertise and emphasized that when interviewing political figures, one should not just sit in the studio and read written materials, but also need to observe on-the-spot how the candidates face the masses, their reactions, and the real atmosphere of the scene. Wu Xindai bluntly said that in democratic countries, it is normal for hosts to go to the campaign site to observe or for scholars to study different political parties. Going to listen does not mean fully accepting their ideas; if even simply "wanting to hear what the other party has to say" must be subject to political loyalty review, Taiwanese people will eventually lose their freedom of thought.
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Wu Xindai further pointed out the deep crisis of China’s cultural united front. She recalled the National Day that just passed. Whether Taiwanese artists forwarded Chinese official media or congratulated them has long been forced to become a fixed political statement; the Mainland Affairs Council has also pointed out in the past that the Chinese Communist Party has long used ideology to interfere in the film, television, art and cultural environment. She emphasized that China's entertainment industry regulations clearly require practitioners to support the party's line. The most terrifying effect of this cultural united front is that it forces entertainment workers to self-censor every day and constantly calculate whether their words, actions and the people they are photographed with will lead to the loss of their jobs. He said that the Tsai Kang-yong incident showed another escalation of China's suppression. In the past, the requirement was that "you must say something when working in China", but now it has evolved into "people in Taiwan cannot listen to what certain people say."
Wu Xindai reiterated that Tsai Kangyong did not give a speech that day, nor did he announce his support for a specific candidate. He simply sat in the audience and observed potential interviewees, which led to China's Internet expedition and business separation. This is the authoritarian thinking that should not be accepted in a democratic society. He believes that the most precious thing about democracy is not only the right to speak, but also the right to listen to different voices. Whether it is Shen Boyang, Jiang Wanan, or those who support reunification or Taiwan’s subjectivity, the final agreement or disapproval can be left to the reader to judge. Wu Xindai finally expressed her support for Tsai Kangyong, emphasizing that a truly confident society will never be afraid of people hearing different voices. Only an authoritarian system will be afraid of a person walking into the scene to observe and judge for himself.
