In September 2023, our team interviewed one of the legislators of New Taipei City, Hong Mong-Kai as an opportunity to explore the candidates’ strategies, budget, and legislator Hong’s personal experiences as a  legislator in Taiwan. The team first asked about whether the candidates communicate with each other and how they interact.

Representative Hong stated, “There is usually not much communication with competitors during elections. As the current legislator, I don’t believe there is a significant amount of competition in my opinion. My term extends until the end of January next year, but I am actively seeking re-election for the eleventh term. Every day, I dedicate myself to fulfilling my responsibilities, participating in various tasks at the Legislative Yuan, including meetings, questioning sessions, and budget reviews, to supervise the government on behalf of the people. I also engage in on-site inspections and address petitions at the local level, providing services to the citizens. I consider myself a professional legislator, supervising the government and contributing to local development. I believe the public’s eyes are clear, especially in this current generation where information spreads easily. Therefore, I update campaign information on my fan page for voters to access at any time. My campaign strategy is primarily focused on demonstrating my value through practical work and effort, rather than engaging in malicious criticism or personal attacks against opponents. Despite potential attempts by competitors to provoke conflicts, I choose not to engage in conflicts but rather concentrate on doing my job well. I believe that through regular hard work, voters will naturally offer support.”

Next, the team asked Legislator Hong to identify his biggest fear before the election.

Legislator Hong replied his biggest fear is his co-workers or his team not managing the time correctly. Legislator Hong described the election period as a soccer game. He explained the fixed rules of 90 minutes per soccer game and 45 minutes in each half. “The time is always running,” he said, “the players must keep running up-and-down the field and score goals, which is just like us candidates before the election. The election is on January 13th, 2024. Until then, all of us candidates will do our most to secure and gain more votes. However,  as fair as it should be, there are only 24 hours each day. The key is how to effectively use these 24 hours to reach more people, gain more exposure, and win more support. In my districts, which include areas like Linkou, Bali, Tamsui, Taishan, Sanzhi, and Shimen, if a schedule of mine fails to include a visit to, for example, the Linkou district, or if my colleagues make a mistake in the schedule,  it will affect my time management, preventing me from utilizing my time to the fullest in a tightly interconnected plan. Such scenarios would make me feel like I’m wasting time, which is worrying for me as I can’t completely control every minute and every second.”

Then, the team asked Legislator Hong for his opinions on this election. The legislator says his attitude throughout his 3 years of service hasn’t changed. It is focused on using his time wisely and fulfilling his role to the best of his abilities. Legislator Hong explained the large number of younger generations in the above districts and the older generation being more familiar with the use of social media. Again, he states that as long as he fulfills his responsibilities to the finest, including his roles in the Legislator Yuan and locally in his service districts, the voters will see his effort and therefore will naturally support him. In advance, the team asked Legislator Hong about his original intentions. He told the team about coming back to work in the public sector after college and his serving in the military service. He explained his sudden interest in politics and how he and his wife agreed upon his intention to join the elections. 

          Later, the team asked, “How would you respond when you hear targeted comments from your competitors?” The legislator jokingly remarked about blocking online trolls and later expressed that in elections, there will always be voters who either like or dislike you. He maintains an open attitude towards online scrutiny and suggestions, stating that he is willing to listen to reasonable criticism or constructive feedback. He is aware that there may be areas for improvement and emphasizes the need to reflect on the reasons for dissatisfaction and actively make changes. However, he declared zero tolerance for malicious insults, citing past experiences of attacks, including those targeting his family. He does not take online anonymous quarrels for granted, and therefore, he pursues legal action and publicly exposes such attacks, dedicating efforts to prevent such behavior. He believes that if we do not stand up to stop it, we are essentially condoning it. While he respects reasonable discourse, he actively takes legal action against abusive behavior.”

At last, Representative Hong mentioned that his team conducts polls, and he is not worried about the current poll results. The legislator stated that election expenses are already substantial, and commissioning polling agencies are even more expensive. He mentioned that conducting polls now costs around 18-20 units. If done within three days, there might only be a little over a thousand qualified samples. Due to time constraints, spending so much money just for these samples is quite costly. The legislator then went on to discuss that when poll results are favorable, they will continue to provide services for maintenance, as it represents public recognition of the candidate’s principles and appeals. If poll results are not up to his expectations, Representative Hong mentioned that he would reflect on his image or any problematic statements and intensify efforts to address these issues for improvement. Finally, Representative Hong introduced the scale of his electoral district and how the budget is allocated for various promotional materials and advertising. He explained how the price of a poll could cost up to 180,000 or 200,000 NTD for around three days. He also mentioned that when he first decided to return for an election, the pressures and uncertainties brought about by work hours and responsibilities for caring for his child, along with the decision-making process with his wife on whether he would commit to the election.