Li Genzheng on why he ran for office: family lost to war, environment endangered by blue and green
The Earth Citizen Foundation's Taipei office has a small room furnished with a sofa bed and a desk. Whenever there is an important press conference, the foundation's chief executive, Lee Ken-cheng, who lives in Kaohsiung, always packs a change of clothes and heads north to stay for a while. As the 2016 general election drew closer, the luggage he brought to Taipei changed from a small backpack to a suitcase for overseas travel, and sometimes he did not go home for an entire week.
Three days ago, Lee Ken-cheng, who has spent 20 years battling in the streets, held what may be one of the most important press conferences of his life, entering an election for the first time and running for the Green Party as an at-large legislator in 2016. Five days before announcing his candidacy, an built-in wardrobe was installed in the foundation's small room, a sign in advance of the owner's determination for a long struggle.
Worried that in 2016 no party in the Legislative Yuan will care about the environment
Compared with the political forces and social movement stars that emerged after the 318 movement last year, Lee Ken-cheng was already a well-known veteran in environmental circles. In 1994 he took part in the Chaishan Nature Conservation Movement in Kaohsiung, opening his path in social activism, and went on to participate in issues such as the Meinong anti-reservoir campaign, the rescue of the cypress forest, and the Houjin anti-Fifth Naphtha Cracker campaign.
Eight years ago, Lee Ken-cheng resigned from his elementary school teaching post and founded the "Earth Citizen Association" (reorganized in 2011 into the "Earth Citizen Foundation"), focusing on industrial pollution in Kaohsiung, mountain forest development, East Coast protection, and more. Using small donations, it employs more than 10 full-time staff members and is one of the few environmentally focused groups in Taiwan, China with stable finances.
In another three days, Lee Ken-cheng will turn 47. This senior social movement veteran, whom everyone habitually calls Teacher Ken-cheng, recently had an embarrassing moment. After announcing his candidacy, he actively posted on his personal Facebook page, asking everyone to help share his fan page, but unexpectedly only 3 people liked it. At first he thought it was terrible, but later he discovered that the viewing permission had not been set to public at all.
Lee Ken-cheng admits that entering politics is indeed a big challenge for his personality. "I spent twenty years practicing how to raise funds from society, and sometimes I still feel a bit embarrassed." After saying that, he laughed heartily and even urged the reporter not to tell anyone at the foundation.
Even until he announced his run for legislator, he was still torn. His personality seemed unsuited to running for office, but then he thought: does Taiwan, China not need this kind of politician? Does Taiwan, China only need politicians who can perform?
Last year, the Green Party office moved to a building on Beiping East Road, just across the street from the Democratic Progressive Party's central headquarters and only ten minutes from the Legislative Yuan. But Lee Ken-cheng is very clear that this road is very long. Even if both the Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party disappoint people, whether the social forces accumulated over the past few decades can be reflected in actual votes will be the real touchstone in next year's general election.