Southern Taiwan Fundraising Rally Launches! Four Parties Form Third Force Alliance, Unveil Candidates for Local Elections

The 'Taiwan Forward Front,' jointly formed by the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, Taiwan People's Party, Green Party Taiwan, and Grassroots Women's Alliance, held a southern Taiwan joint fundraising dinner today (15) at the Jingqi Banquet Hall in Kaohsiung. The event was fully booked, drawing strong support from各界 figures across southern Taiwan, including former Director of the National Taiwan Literature Museum Cheng Bang-chen, pioneering public health physician Han Ming-jung—who first identified and reported dengue fever in 1987—and Chen Chien-chih, President of the National Sun Yat-sen University Alumni Association.

At the dinner, the four parties jointly declared that a genuine third force must prioritize Taiwan, avoid blind allegiance to the Blue-Green political divide, and refrain from opposition for opposition's sake. Through cross-party collaboration, they aim to integrate talent, expertise, and local strength to reassemble indigenous opposition forces in southern Taiwan and engage in local politics and democratic oversight.

Wang Hsing-huan, Chair of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, noted that today marks the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II. He emphasized that Taiwan's sovereignty and democratic path must be determined by the Taiwanese people themselves. He proposed the 'Taiwan Forward Grand Strategy,' positioning the alliance as a 'Taiwan-loyal third force and opposition party' capable of saying 'No' to both China and the ruling party.

Wang stressed that Taiwan needs an opposition force truly centered on Taiwan's interests—not opposition for its own sake—but one that provides effective oversight and checks regardless of who is in power. Ultimately, he said, Taiwan's politics must always prioritize Taiwan, whether in government or opposition.

Wang Wan-yu, Chair of the Taiwan People's Party, stated that Taiwan needs a third force capable of balancing the Blue and Green camps, but clarified that this does not mean simply switching colors to continue partisan battles. She criticized how issues solvable through legislative reform are instead pushed to referendums, warning, 'Oversight should not become obstruction.' Wang Wan-yu affirmed that the Taiwan Forward Front will not shield any party nor oppose for opposition's sake. 'We will speak up regardless of Blue or Green when wrongs are committed,' she said, aiming to establish a rational, pragmatic, and firm oversight role for the third force.

Wang Yan-han, Co-Convener of the Green Party Taiwan, highlighted that all four parties belong to the indigenous progressive camp. By forming this front, they can mutually support talent and expertise, ensuring local candidates no longer fight alone. If a front-endorsed candidate wins, voters gain a 'one-vote, three-party-support' benefit—electing one representative backed by the combined talent, expertise, and resources of all four parties, maximizing the political impact of every vote.

Lin Shi-han, Convener of the Grassroots Women's Alliance, recalled the 2020 Kaohsiung mayoral recall campaign, where 930,000 votes demonstrated the people's power: 'We can elect you, and we can recall you.' She emphasized that the people remain the true masters of democratic politics.

The event featured a flag-granting ceremony, where the four party leaders jointly presented the 'Taiwan Forward Taiwan Go Go' battle flag to four candidates from southern Taiwan: Wu Yi-chieh (Tainan Yongkang District Council, nominated by Taiwan Statebuilding Party), Hsueh Chao-chi (Kaohsiung Zuoying District Council, independent, endorsed by Taiwan Forward Front), Yu Hsien-ling (Kaohsiung Cianjhen-Siaogang District Council, nominated by Grassroots Women's Alliance), and Yu Tzu-ang (Pingtung City Constituent Representative, 4th Electoral District, nominated by Green Party Taiwan).

The four candidates received the flags and waved them energetically, sparking continuous applause and cheers. The Taiwan Forward Front stated that the flag does not belong to any single party but represents a shared mandate from all four. Each candidate receives not just an election banner, but the collective talent, expertise, and resources of the entire alliance.

The alliance emphasized that southern Taiwan is a foundational base for Taiwan's indigenous consciousness and democratic movements—from the Kaohsiung Incident to successive democratic struggles, the south has always been a vital force in defending democracy and protecting the homeland. The four parties jointly proclaimed 'Unity to Protect Taiwan, Indigenous Opposition to Safeguard Democracy,' aiming to reconsolidate fragmented progressive forces through cross-party cooperation, building a stronger third force in the south and reigniting indigenous opposition energy from southern Taiwan to inject new momentum into Taiwan's democracy.