Kaohsiung mayoral race heats up as Ko pushes welfare, Lai courts grassroots

The Kaohsiung mayoral race is heating up, with candidates from both the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) recently unveiling policy platforms and bolstering grassroots organisations, signalling strong ambitions. KMT mayoral hopeful Ke Zhi‑en has publicly released a series of policy proposals focused on social welfare and sports development, aiming to win voter support through concrete governance plans. In contrast, DPP candidate Lai Rui‑long is pursuing a methodical approach, establishing support committees across the city’s districts to consolidate and enhance his campaign’s organisational capacity ahead of the election.

On the policy front, Ke Zhi‑en introduced what he calls the “Five Major Social‑Welfare Policies,” targeting two issues that dominate public discourse: the working conditions of social workers and the challenges posed by an ageing population. The core of the proposal is to raise salaries and improve labour environments in order to retain skilled social‑welfare professionals, while also presenting a set of upgrades to the long‑term care system to alleviate the chronic pressures faced by frontline caregivers. Beyond welfare, Ke also turned his attention to leisure and economic growth, proposing a sports‑tourism agenda that would host large‑scale sporting events to attract visitors to Kaohsiung and stimulate the local tourism industry and related economic benefits.

While Ke is busy rolling out substantive policy “meat,” Lai Rui‑long is showcasing the DPP’s grassroots organisational advantage by setting up support committees in key electoral districts throughout Kaohsiung. In a tightly contested mayoral contest, mobilisation capacity has always been a decisive factor. By establishing these committees, Lai seeks to visualise and concentrate support, fostering cohesion among his backers. This organisational strategy not only accelerates the dissemination of Lai’s messages at the neighbourhood level but also integrates local factions, civil societies, and professional groups, ensuring that the campaign can unleash maximal mobilisation power when the election begins.

The divergent tactics of the two candidates highlight the strategic split in the race. Ke Zhi‑en is pursuing an issue‑driven approach, using concrete social‑welfare and sports proposals to craft an image of professionalism, concern for livelihoods, and urban transformation, thereby reaching beyond the traditional blue‑camp electorate. Lai Rui‑long, meanwhile, is reinforcing the green‑camp’s governing base while expanding his vote‑bank through a dense network of support committees, reflecting a balanced emphasis on both ground‑level (“land”) and aerial (“air”) campaign tactics. Their competition over policy narratives and grassroots organisation places Kaohsiung’s future development vision squarely in the spotlight for voters.

From a broader political perspective, Kaohsiung—Southern Taiwan’s political and economic hub—has long been a battleground for competing forces. Whether it is Ke’s proposals for social‑welfare salary hikes, long‑term‑care talent retention, and sports‑tourism, or Lai’s systematic rollout of support‑committee networks, the ultimate goal is to secure the confidence and backing of the city’s residents. As the campaign progresses, both candidates must continue to present policies that can withstand scrutiny, address voter concerns about local development, and differentiate themselves in an intense political contest—factors that will determine the trajectory of the election.

(Source: Central News Agency)