By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday unveiled her own review of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) loss in the Jan. 14 presidential election, directing most of her criticism at DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Released one day before Tsai submits her own election review to the party, Lu’s lengthy analysis —10,000 characters — said Tsai had made “several fundamental mistakes” and “tactical errors” during her campaign, and that the DPP should carry out a reform to conquer the “last mile” to return to power.
One of the most devastating mistakes the party committed was the attempt by the younger generation to wave goodbye to veteran politicians, a movement that has not stopped after the election, Lu told a press conference in Taipei.
The movement cost Tsai’s campaign dearly, Lu said, as inexperience showed in many areas, such as the campaign’s assessment of the impact of People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) joining the race and the voting behavior of first-time voters.
Tsai has to shoulder the blame as well because she tried to portray herself as a candidate who is “larger than the party she represents” and, at the same time, tried to keep a distance from former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) corruption scandal, Lu said.
The outgoing chairperson — Tsai is scheduled to step down on Thursday next week — mismanaged many issues, including the DPP’s relations with the US, the counterstrategy against the so-called “1992 consensus,” a failure to make connections with civic groups, as well as a failure to highlight Tsai’s expertise on international affairs, Lu said.
The DPP will have to walk more than one last mile to regain its glory, Lu said, and it will not be done without a thorough examination of its mistakes and a well-planned and well-executed reform process, she said.
However, she said she was not interested in running for the party leadership position, adding: “When you have nothing to fight for, you’re invincible.”
Additional reporting by CNA