As Taiwan gradually transforms into a “super-aged” society, a new party is emerging in the political arena with a singular agenda: to restore mahjong, a traditional board game, to greatness.
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Centuries old, this Chinese game, recognizable by its famous tiles, is popular in Taiwan, especially among the elderly. Playing it is certainly authorized, but since the time of martial law (1949-1987), mahjong has evolved in a gray area, arousing the mistrust of the authorities because of the ban on betting in public places.
Organized gangs have long illegally maintained juicy betting parties. Gaming halls are subject to raids or police inspections.
Owner of a gaming hall in the city of Kaohsiung (south), Kuo Hsi decided that it was high time to allow bets during mahjong games. And to achieve his goal, he set up a new political party.
This niche formation, called “Mah-jong the greatest party”, advocates the recognition of board games as “legitimate leisure” as well as the legalization of bets and winnings.
“Let’s be honest. You can bet on anything if you want to play, even rock-paper-scissors. Why do we insist on calling mah-jong (…) a gambling game?” asks Kuo Hsi to AFP.
In his games room, amid the recognizable clink of mahjong tiles producing a hypnotic background sound, the manager believes that “all forms of competition, gambling, golf, tennis, badminton, have some kind of price at the end. They all have them”.
“When there are prizes, participants do their best to train physically and mentally. It’s the same with mah-jong,” adds the 65-year-old.
“Ridiculous”
Max Chang is one of the very first members of the new party. He himself has been a fan of the game of tiles since his youth, which he plays with his family.
“I very much identify with Kuo’s ideals. As a young man who regularly plays mahjong, I’m always worried that people will call the police about us,” the 31-year-old consultant told AFP.
Amy Huang, a 62-year-old housewife, also joined the party. “I can’t wait to play mahjong in broad daylight and not have to hide anymore.”
Ms. Huang’s mother-in-law, who introduced her to the game of tiles, was taken to the police station one day for betting at a game with friends, she said, referring to an incident ” ridiculous”.
But Kuo Hsi knows that he still has a long way to go to fully integrate the Taiwanese political landscape. His party, created last month, has 120 members but its founder hopes to register 10,000 by the end of the year.
He has applied for party registration which he hopes will be approved soon.
His goal: to create enough political momentum to get a referendum next year and change the law.
Taiwan allows referendums to be held regularly to decide on key decisions. In local elections on November 26, the lowering of the voting age from 20 to 18 will be put to a referendum.
The party founder also hopes to secure at least one seat in 2024 when Taiwan elects its new lawmakers and president.
Aging society
As the manager of a game room, Kuo Hsi has every interest in it.
But he also pursues a more altruistic goal: he believes taking mahjong out of its gray zone will help Taiwanese seniors become happier and more sociable.
Nearly 17% of Taiwan’s 23.5 million people are over the age of 65. By 2025, the island is expected to emulate Japan in becoming a “super-aged” society, when the share of over-65s reaches 20% of the population.
“Taiwan is an aging society with more and more elderly citizens, especially in remote areas. They mainly stay at home watching television,” according to Kuo Hsi.
“If they can get together with people their own age to play mahjong and chat with others, it will help improve their quality of life and bring them happiness.”