This week coming up in Taiwan there will be an election for Mayor of Taipei. Even though Taipei is far away the mayoral contest is a fascinating one that we can only hope heralds a change in how politics can be conducted. (... note that the position of Mayor of Taipei is often the last stepping stone on the path to becoming the President of Taiwan, so it is a very significant election, not just some small local contest).
The independent candidate Ko Wen-je is a trauma surgeon, actually the top trauma surgeon in Taiwan (having saved among other people the man he is running against and the wife of the KMT mayor of another mayor Taiwan city). He is not a politician, and has never help political office. He has Aspergers, is pretty direct when he talks and is really trying to do politics in a different way. He is doing very little advertising for his campaign. His campaign is driven mostly by social media, eschewing the standard Taiwanese political tactics. He has even stopped taking any more donations. He is definitely not like any successful politician you have ever seen. Have I tempted you?
See below for some very interesting videos that do a better job of helping you understand this very interesting man that I could ever do. I have heard my wife talking about this guy for a few months now, but only today sat down to watch these videos (with English subtitles) and I have to say ... I am pretty impressed.