Everyday, Amy Huang (黃惠美) dons her A-Bian hat, puts her A-Bian pen into her A-Bian holdall, pulls on her A-Bian jumper and -- if there's a chill in the air, throws on her A-Bian jacket -- waves goodbye to her A-Bian cuddly doll and heads off to her volunteer job at the DPP's campaign headquarters. Huang's behavior might appear odd, especially when exhibited by a grown adult with a husband and two young children, but she's far from alone.
Walk down any city street these days and you're guaranteed to see the young and the old alike sporting some kind of campaign-related paraphernalia be it a hat, a pin or a gaudy pair of sneakers.
"We've got three of everything. Pullovers, jackets, bags and hats in all different sizes one for each of us," said Huang, proudly showing off her latest purchase, an A-Bian sports top. "I just keep buying them because my two children and I love to wear them [A-Bian products]. All my friends wear A-Bian clothes too. We all believe that it's a great way to show our support for the DPP and, of course, they look so cool."
With election day looming and the campaigns in full swing, thousands of supporters of both the ruling party and the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are showing their support for their future leader of choice by filling their wardrobes, desk drawers and even kitchens with political party paraphernalia. And, like the Huang's, many no longer venture out without sporting at least one, two or even three items from their 2004 election-related wardrobes.
Before leaving his home on Guam to return in order to savor the election build-up and vote on March 20, Jason Liao (廖武忠), had already acquired quite a bit of A-Bian attire. Sent to him by friends and family, the few pieces were to prove only a taster for what was to follow. Since his return, Liao has built up what must surely be Guam's largest inventory of A-Bian memorabilia. He has purchased nearly everything in the A-Bian catalogue for himself, his wife, his children and his friends.
"Originally all I had was an A-Bian flag on the roof of my house, but then people started to send me things and my collection began to grow," said the jovial Taiwanese expat. "Since I've been back here I've bought everything I can for me and my family. Clothes, scarves, hats and jackets. You name it, if they make it I've bought it."
On any given day at the DDP's election headquarters the till at the Bian Mao Factory (扁帽工廠) stall never stops ringing. For volunteers like Melody Chen (陳清美), a member of the women's support group for the Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) campaign, the days are long, but the lines of those wanting to purchase any one of the 11 A-Bian products are even longer.
"People are coming at all times of the day to buy A-Bian things. They come before they go to work, during their lunch breaks and on their way home. There's a never-ending line of people here," she said. "The most popular product is the baseball cap. We sell anywhere from between 200 to 500 of these nearly everyday."
According to Joanna Chiu (
"We see a lot of young people in their teens coming, which for a political party anywhere is pretty odd. We get retired people, many of who like the cuddly dolls, as well as entire families and foreigners lining up regardless of the weather to buy A-Bian products," Chiu said.
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