Want China Times, Lin Sih-huei, Chen Wen-hsin and Staff Reporter 2013-12-31
 |
| Bathtime for Rubber Duck in grimy Keelung on Dec. 28. (Photo/Chen Chih-yuan) |
It is a truism
that in Taiwan there is political mileage to be gained from anything you might
care to mention. Yet the hugely popular Rubber Duck floating art installation
has proved remarkably immune to politicization. An opposition Democratic
Progressive Party deputy secretary general was even advised not to use any
issue related to the Rubber Duck as a means of attack as it would be more
likely to backfire.
Rubber Duck
is currently on show in the harbor of the northern city of Keelung, its third
and final port of call in Taiwan. It was initiated in Keelung by the city
council's chairman Huang Ching-tai but the city quickly came under the scrutiny
of local media after the artwork's creator Florentijn Hofman criticized the
"commercial circus" that had sprung up around his work and accused
event organizer Jerry Fan of breach of contract for selling unauthorized
duck-related merchandise at an exhibition hall close to the installation.
Keelung has
long been in the hands of the Kuomintang, with which Huang is affiliated. But
there has been increasing dissatisfaction with the party's performance among
locals, and the city has been ranked as the place in Taiwan where people feel
their quality of life is the lowest. This has given the DPP confidence of
scoring a coup — but also goes to explain why Rubber Duck has given locals a
bit of much-needed cheer.
Keelung has
not been kind to Rubber Duck, however. Poor weather and dirt from nearby
docking ships saw the installation coated in a visible layer of grime just days
after its unveiling on Dec. 21. The DPP reportedly intended to use this as a
metaphor to attack the KMT's grubby rule over the harbor city and to suggest
that corruption will continue in the city if its government does not change.
But the
party eventually stayed its hand amid fears that criticism of Rubber Duck could
hurt the feelings of locals and damage tourism. Although it would represent a
small victory at the city council, using the duck as a weapon could ultimately
harm the DPP more than its opponent.
An election
staff member at the KMT admitted that Huang is vulnerable to negative news
reports about him and the city, but found that it was difficult for people to
relate Rubber Duck to politics.
The KMT
predicts the next election in the city will be decided by fewer than 10,000
votes. The party is relying on three trump cards: Rubber Duck, the party
primary and the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, while the
DPP's campaign pledge is to build a rapid transit system like the Taipei metro.
As of press
time, the duck had reportedly exploded unexpectedly on Tuesday afternoon. The
political ramifications of this dramatic new development are yet to be seen.
 |
The Rubber
Duck reappears at the Keelung port, Jan 3.
(Photo/Teng Po-jen)
|
Related Articles:
 |
A series of
photos capture the moment Rubber Duck split down one side
and rapidly deflated on Dec. 31. (Photo/CNA) |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.