The strange departure of Kao from the TPPBy Chang Kuo-tsai 張國財Hsinchu City Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) announced her departure from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) immediately after she was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison by the Taipei District Court for embezzling public funds during her time as a legislator. From the TPP’s perspective, Kao was the party’s only head of local government — a high-ranking party member, an important asset and a rising star. Kao could leverage her “victimhood” in subsequent election campaigns, either by running for re-election in Hsinchu City or seeking higher-ranking roles. If Kao was politically persecuted, she and the TPP would benefit from it, as told from the above, then how could the party be hurt? If Kao was being subject to political victimization, why did she not mobilize the TPP’s resources to seek redress through the justice system?
