Lee, Ma hit the stage at their first rallies

DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) and incumbent Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) vied for voters' attention yesterday as they staged their first campaign rallies at the same time last night.

Both of the rallies began almost simultaneously, as did the appearances of Lee and Ma on center stage.

Both camps had also purchased air time to have their rallies broadcast live on cable TV.

While the DPP brought out its heavyweights -- Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Taipei County Commissioner Su Chen-chang (蘇貞昌) and DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) -- to make the case for Lee's candidacy at Ta-an Forest Park last night, Ma's rally took on a softer tune as he invited artists and athletes to share the stage with him at 228 Memorial Park.

Ta-an park was filled with the sounds of blaring air horns and screams of dong suan, "get elected" in Taiwanese, as the crowd waved green and white flags as they watched dance and pop music performances.

Addressing the crowd, Lee reiterated his goal of building a world-class capital city and called on Taipei residents to support his bid for mayor.

"Taipei City under Ma has been full of nightmares," Lee said, citing issues such as the city's ongoing police disciplinary scandals and Ma's failed attempt to eradicate the city's sex industry.

"It is my goal to turn Taipei, an ugly duckling, into a great beauty," Lee said, emphasizing his determination, a quality he said the Ma government lacks.

Contrary to the "high" displayed at Lee's rally, Ma's appeared to be mellow and more laid back.

Asking rally attendees not to call out dong suan or bring air horns, the Ma camp opted for a non-traditional rally, saying it wanted to give Taipei residents "a high-class cultural feast."

In between performances such as traditional puppet dramas, folk operas and an appearance by a basketball player, Ma spoke of his record and shared his visions for another term.

Taipei has become cleaner under his administration's recycling project, Ma said, adding that the city government's water-rationing efforts during this spring's drought efficiently kept the drought's impact on residents' daily lives to a minimum.

"It's my aim to build Taipei into a city that's full of love and harmony," Ma said, adding that his record shows his determination to do a good job.

With less than three months to go before the year-end mayoral election, the campaign for the post is heating up.

Lee last week published his autobiography, while a biography of Ma hit the shelves yesterday.