Deng Pu, for much of his life, did not consider himself an activist – a stance that shifted dramatically last year.
Incensed by what he perceived as undemocratic actions by Taiwanese legislators and undue Chinese influence in parliament, he joined thousands in a large-scale street demonstration. He subsequently joined a campaign group two months ago.
These actions mark a departure for him. “Previous social movements were important, but to be honest they didn’t make me this angry,” the 39-year-old photographer told the BBC. “We are citizens… and we need to make sure our society sticks to its democratic systems and spirit.”
That anger is now reaching a critical juncture. This Saturday, Taiwan will hold a vote to decide whether to remove over two dozen lawmakers accused of being too closely aligned with China, in what has been dubbed “dabamian,” or the Great Recall.
This unprecedented vote has the potential to reshape the political landscape of Taiwan. However, it has already intensified existing political divisions, with both sides claiming to be the champions of Taiwan’s democracy.
The situation began with the January elections, where voters elected William Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as president, but granted the opposition a majority in the Legislative Yuan.
In the months that followed, the primary opposition party, Kuomintang, collaborated with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party and independents to obstruct DPP bills and enact controversial legislation. This included limiting the constitutional court’s authority, reducing the government’s budget, and increasing the threshold for recall votes.
These actions sparked significant discontent among some Taiwanese, who viewed them as hindering the DPP government while bolstering the opposition’s power in parliament.
In May 2024, thousands began holding protests in what became known as the Bluebird movement, named after the Taipei street where many had gathered.
Many within the movement believe the opposition, particularly the Kuomintang known for its relatively conciliatory stance towards China, is being influenced by Beijing and secretly advancing China’s agenda in Taiwan’s legislature.
The Kuomintang has denied these allegations, but suspicions were fueled when a group of its lawmakers visited China last year and were received by high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official Wang Huning.
Civic groups within the Bluebird movement initiated petitions to remove various Kuomintang lawmakers, while Kuomintang supporters retaliated by launching similar efforts against some DPP lawmakers.
To date, petitions for 31 lawmakers’ seats have garnered enough preliminary support to warrant a final recall vote. All of these seats are currently held by the Kuomintang – and successful recalls could ultimately lead to the DPP gaining a majority in the legislature.
While Taiwan has held recall votes in the past, the scale of the current undertaking is unprecedented.
This Saturday, citizens in 24 districts will vote on a simple yes or no question: whether they agree to remove their legislator. An additional round of voting will be held in August for the remaining recall cases.
In each district, if the number of votes exceeds 25% of registered voters and more than half approve the recall, the seat will be vacated, and a by-election must be held within three months.
This underscores the critical importance of voter turnout for the success of the Great Recall – a factor that has driven civic groups to relentlessly leverage social media and conduct extensive canvassing efforts.
On a recent weekday evening, Deng Pu and fellow members of his civic group stood outside a Taipei subway station. Some held banners and chanted slogans, while others distributed paper fans and tissue packets adorned with the phrases “Let’s go out together to vote” and “Say yes to the recall”.
Mr. Deng acknowledged that, given the location of several recall votes in Kuomintang strongholds, even successful recalls might result in the party regaining those seats in subsequent by-elections.
Nevertheless, he asserted that the Great Recall would still be worthwhile, as it provides a mechanism to “correct our democracy”.
Regardless of the outcome, it would “send a strong signal to all the political parties that you must respect the latest wishes of Taiwan’s citizens.”
Mr. Deng acknowledged that many within the Bluebird movement were DPP supporters but refuted allegations that civic groups were funded by the party – a claim frequently made by the opposition.
“We don’t care whether DPP wins the by-elections. What’s more urgent to us is that we hope to have a normal parliament, one that is not close to China and the Chinese Communist Party.”
He also expressed concern over what he perceived as a tepid response from the DPP, stating: “From the first recall petition till now, the civic groups have been telling the DPP that the citizens are here and there are many of us… We are strongly calling on the DPP to join us.”
The DPP initially sought to distance itself from the Great Recall. However, it eventually signaled its support, with Lai emphasizing that the DPP “must align with the power of the people” and directing party officials to assist pro-recall groups in “protecting the nation”.
This has inevitably strengthened the opposition’s claim that the DPP secretly orchestrated the Great Recall and Bluebird movement, emphasizing that the DPP stands to gain the most politically.
It not only has the potential to secure a permanent majority in the legislature, but even if the Kuomintang ultimately prevails in the by-elections, the DPP would have held the majority for a few weeks, granting it sufficient time to pass critical legislation.
Anti-recall demonstrations organized by the Kuomintang and other opposition parties have attracted thousands. At one such rally in the New Taipei district of Banqiao last weekend, supporters brandished banners and chanted “No to the vote” while crossing their arms.
As speakers took the stage, they consistently condemned the Great Recall while portraying William Lai as a fascist and authoritarian traitor to Taiwan’s democracy.
Large screens displayed videos of Lai doctored to resemble Adolf Hitler with the words “Fuhrer Lai”, alongside the slogan “Green Terror” – a reference to the DPP’s party color and the White Terror, a period of authoritarian rule and political repression under the Kuomintang.
The rhetoric mirrored that of Beijing, which has weighed in on the debate from afar. Its Taiwan Affairs Office has accused Lai of “engaging in dictatorship under the guise of democracy” and “using every means possible to suppress the opposition”.
“The recall lawmakers were chosen by the majority of voters in their districts. If they are not good enough, they can be voted out in the next election,” said rally attendee Mu Zili. “Why should we be using this evil way of getting rid of them?”
The 68-year-old night shift worker maintained that the lawmakers were being targeted solely because they belonged to the Kuomintang, and that the Bluebird activists were working for the DPP.
“You can’t have one party take down the other one in one big recall, this is not democratic,” Ms. Mu stated.
“I side with blue,” she added, referring to the Kuomintang’s party color. “But I don’t oppose green. I’m here not because I support the Kuomintang, but to protect democracy.”
However, there are also many Taiwanese who remain undecided.
Peggy Lin, a resident of Banqiao, observed the anti-recall rally from the sidelines. Like several other bystanders the BBC spoke to, she expressed confusion regarding the controversy surrounding the Great Recall.
“I don’t know what it’s about really, I haven’t followed the debate at all… so I don’t have an opinion,” said the 43-year-old childcare worker.
“I will vote after I read more into it and decide based on how I feel on that day about it.”
Analysts suggest that, regardless of the outcome, the Great Recall will have a lasting impact on Taiwan’s polarized society.
The political clashes have, at times, become acrimonious. Legislators have engaged in physical altercations in parliament over the political deadlock, while activists have faced doxxing and abuse. Mr. Deng told the BBC that he and his teammates had been assaulted or pushed around by residents opposing the vote while canvassing.
The vote has also been marred by scandal, with officials uncovering numerous forged signatures, many belonging to deceased voters, on recall petitions against both DPP and Kuomintang lawmakers.
The vote “will cement the notion of four-year terms as not a given but as conditional on performance and subject to periodic reviews. Political polarization will likely get worse before it gets better,” said Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist with the Australian National University’s Taiwan Studies programme.
However, the Great Recall is also “creating space for renewed political activism”, particularly for DPP supporters, added Dr. Sung, which he characterized as an overall benefit to the resilience of Taiwan’s civil society.
Ian Chong, a non-resident scholar with Carnegie China, said that if many of the recall votes succeed, “one signal it would send to politicians in Taiwan is that they should be careful with how far they push the line in public sentiment… they can’t stray too far as there would be consequences”.
“But if it fizzles out, then it emboldens politicians to do what they want,” he noted.
“It will intensify the polarization… and it would be easy for politicians to write off the Great Recall as yet another civil society movement that doesn’t get enough momentum beyond a certain part of the population.”
If there was a close but not conclusive result overall, however, it may mean “the Kuomintang and DPP will have to ultimately seek compromise and work together”.
This, added Dr. Chong, “may not be a bad thing for Taiwan”.
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