Recall vote result resounding failure for DPP's political manipulation efforts: China Daily editorial

It comes as no surprise that the second round of a recall vote against seven legislators of the Kuomintang party in Taiwan has once again ended in complete failure on Saturday, bringing an inglorious close to the monthslong campaign that is widely believed to have been orchestrated in a most disgraceful way by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te and the Democratic Progressive Party.

The sweeping victory for the KMT in the vote was an ignominious setback for the DPP's recall campaign. Less than a month ago, the KMT reaped its first success after a recall vote against its 24 legislators failed completely. Saturday's result means after two rounds of voting, the DPP still remains a minority party in the island's legislature, holding 51 seats out of 113.

As Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, rightfully pointed out, Saturday's voting shows after the first round of the recall vote the people on the island continue to say "no" to the disgraceful political farce staged by the DPP and its attempts to suppress political dissent and deepen social division on the island. It fully demonstrated that any separatist moves and political manipulation run against the will of the people in Taiwan and are doomed to fail.

For Lai and the DPP, such a crushing defeat was exactly what they deserve. Since Lai took office, he and the DPP have never gone a day without pushing their separatist agenda, and the mass recall campaign, which was an attempt to overturn the DPP's minority in the island's legislature, was just one instance of their machinations aimed at achieving their ulterior political motives.

It is high time Lai and the DPP listened to the broader public opinion in Taiwan, which indicates through the two rounds of the recall voting nothing but the strong public dissatisfaction with their governance.

Lai and the DPP's insistence on pushing for the second round of mass recall voting after the first round was such an abject failure reveals the hypocrisy of their groundless finger-pointing at the Chinese mainland. Any addressing of the major issues that residents on the island are most concerned about, such as the economy and people's livelihood, has been cast aside to make way for political manipulation.

What worries the people on the Chinese island most at present is the huge impact of the United States' high tariffs and the appreciation of Taiwan's currency on the island's economy. Yet, with their minds totally focused on the mass recall, Lai and the DPP have completely ignored public opinion and devoted all resources to this political gamble. With the public increasingly seeing the true face of the governance of Lai and the DPP, the public discontent with their policies was palpable in the voting results.

The DPP's goal of maintaining its political power through creating division, confrontation, and relying on outside forces, especially the US, is unacceptable to the public, which also means Lai's governance philosophy and ideas continue to lose traction on the island.

Lai should know mainstream sentiment among the Taiwan public is for stability and improving their own well-being, and that they do not support his approach of being a willing lapdog to outside forces and causing division at home. Hence, it is only natural that the popularity of Lai and his party will continue to decline on the island if they persist with their provocative separatist stance.

Not to mention that Lai and the DPP have clearly misread and misinterpreted the current US policy on Taiwan. It is hard to believe that the current US administration, driven by US President Donald Trump's principle of "America First", will do whatever it takes to lend support for Lai's separatist agenda.

Any attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" will only lead to a dead end. If Lai and the DPP continue going on the wrong path, they will inevitably face the consequences of their actions.