I find Taiwan’s political scene bewilderingly colourful. While some of their campaigns are slick, many are ludicrously gimmicky and laugable. The profiles of some of their politicans are also very “enthralling”, like the stripper-turned-politician Hsu Hsiao-tan who held a nude wedding in 1997 or that Chu Mei-feng who caused such a stir in 2001 after a secretly shot video of her sexual liaison with a married man turned up for sale. Taiwan’s parliament members also have a penchant for feeding their opponents by slinging lunch boxes at one another. Yes, engaging in food fight is obviously a prime time parliamentary activity for them, and perhaps a politically correct way to de-stress when they’re in session.

Hats off to them too for their endless ingenuity, such as when Lee Deng Hui appeared in a samurai costume earlier in the year to support the pro-secessionism Taiwan union party. Actually I was busy sniggering at his outfit and had no interest to scrutinise his motives.

Yesterday, I was once more tickled when the Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou was invited to be seduced by the shameless Xiao S on “Kang Xi Lai Le”. Can you imagine a politician appearing in an entertainment talk show? Well, at least it’s unthinkable in Singapore as our poker-faced MPs would only appear in serious beat programmes. And with Xiao S, passions can run overtly high, the fact that she declares her admiration openly for Mayor Ma and the fact that she’s even more untamed now that she’s preggy. She even had the audacity to ask him for a french kiss :roll: which fortunately, was politely ignored.

Part of the programme was also dedicated to the mayor singing a song “Bring Out The Love” with some children and pop band F.I.R who composed the theme song for the city government’s Healthy City initiative. I believe it’s an attempt to score with the younger population, and I must say it’s pretty hip. Our politicians could take a leaf from his book. Plus the fact that their government is so open about getting mocked at, by allowing the programme People’s Steaming Casserole to go on air every weekday night.

Taiwan politicians are first-rate entertainers. So who says politics have to be boring?