DPP playing mainland card to win local polls

Taiwan will hold local elections, or nine-in-one elections, on Nov 24 to elect representatives to nine levels of government including mayors and councilors. Therefore, the elections can be seen as a midterm test for the Tsai Ing-wen administration and her chances of being re-elected the island's leader in 2020.

Not surprisingly, some Tsai administration officials have alleged the Chinese mainland is trying to interfere with and spread fake news online to disrupt the local elections. And "pro-independent" forces on the island are spreading rumors against rival candidates who could give serious competition to Democratic Progressive Party nominees.

The Tsai administration and her DPP have been playing political games to create chaos in order to win the elections. The ruling DPP is notorious for its goal of seeking "independence" from the motherland. No wonder it demonizes the mainland as an enemy of the island to garner votes every time its candidates are at a disadvantage against their counterparts in elections or to gain Taiwan residents' support during cross-Straits disputes.