A Game Changer?

* President Tsai Ing-wen and the ruling DPP bungled on the handover of fugitive murder suspect Chan Tong-kai from Hong Kong. The reversal of earlier decision not to accept Chan caused an uproar in Taiwan just 80 days before next January's presidential election. While Tsai retains a sizeable lead over the KMT challenger, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu, stranger things have happened before in the island's democratic transformation.

* In addition to media scrutiny, the opposition KMT tried to tie the controversy to the alleged manipulation by the DPP for campaign purposes over the protests in Hong Kong in recent months. If the allegation is true, it has lead to substantial advantage for Tsai and the DPP, as evidenced by the poll numbers since August.

* As the war of words continues between the HK SAR authorities and Taipei, the fate of the fugitive murderer Chan remains unclear. How the ruling DPP handles the handover, if it happens, could have a profound impact on how the Taiwan public views and reacts to highly sensitive issues like political sovereignty and jurisdictional independence. Neither Tsai nor Han could afford a misstep that may result in a game changer, especially over campaign momentum in the final 80 days.