Is He Serious?

* Since announcing his decision to launch his fourth presidential bid, PFP Chairman James C.Y. Soong has struggled and remained stagnant at 6-8% in most public opinion polls. With forty days left in the campaign, Soong is not expected to make much of a difference in the final outcome.

* Other than sporadic policy proposals, Soong has not come across as a serious candidate who's doing everything he could to win. His campaign so far has been a privilege of a few, not something ordinary people could identify with or participate in. It goes against most democratic principles when the candidate--in elections big or small--forgets the people.

* Though few thought that Soong would pose a threat to President Tsai Ing-wen's reelection, some had hoped that his candidacy would present a viable alternative to the Blue-Green dichotomy that has divided Taiwan in recent years. From what the public has seen so far, Soong is not the preferred candidate to deliver on that front.

* While Taiwan may need a "Third Force" to ease the partisan conflicts and confrontations, Soong may not be the ideal candidate to get the job done. The 20-year hiatus from 2000 presidential election when he was last considered a serious contender hasn't helped either. As a seasoned politician for over 40 years, many feel that Soong deserves a better ending to a political career that once had an instrumental role to play in the island's democratization--apparently something shared by many but not Soong himself.