Fearing a low turnout, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday urged the public to come out and vote in Saturday's legislative elections.
President Chen Shui-bian (
However, he would not say whether he would step down as chairman if the DPP performed badly in the elections.
Meanwhile, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Chen chaired a meeting of senior party members to discuss the elections and campaign strategy at DPP headquarters yesterday morning.
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), DPP election campaign chief Yu Shyi-kun, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄), DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Hsieh's running mate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) attended the meeting.
Chen said afterwards there was no secret to winning an election, but solidarity, hard work and perseverance were all very important.
Chen said that while he realized securing 50 seats was "mission impossible," the DPP had repeatedly proven it could turn things around.
If the KMT won a majority in the legislature, Chen said, Taiwan would only have one option for its future: unification with China.
KMT domination of the legislature, Chen said, would mean the "one country on either side of the Taiwan Strait" policy advocated by the DPP would be consigned to history and the country would make a complete U-turn.
"Unification will no longer be a remote notion or a ridiculous ideology but will become the policy goal of the KMT government," he said. "If this comes to pass, there will be little difference between Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao."
Chen said although speculation was mounting that the DPP would win between 35 to 38 seats and the KMT would secure 75, nobody knew what would really happen.
If the worst happened, Chen said, it would be a serious defeat for the DPP and for Taiwan, democracy and justice.
Chen lambasted the KMT for urging the public to boycott the two referendums that are to be held concurrently with the elections, saying this was tantamount to rejecting democracy.
The referendum initiated by the DPP represented the nation's last chance to reclaim the assets stolen by the KMT, he said.
Hsieh said supporters were anxious about the DPP's election chances and worried that the KMT would win a legislative majority.
"It will be a disaster for the country if the KMT controls the government agencies, judiciary and the legislature," he said. "We will not give up any ballot. We will spare no effort until the very end."
Meanwhile, the TSU yesterday introduced promotional videos featuring Lee urging voters to cast their second ballot for the TSU. The videos were broadcast on TV beginning yesterday evening.
In the videos, Lee criticized the DPP for dashing the hopes of the people and offering no direction for the country's future. Lee said many people had asked him which presidential candidate he would endorse.
"I want you to ask yourself who you are," he said. "So many people ask others who they support, but seldom do they ask themselves who they are. Taiwanese must have a Taiwan-centered consciousness. They must be their own master, walk their own path and take care of the disadvantaged, workers, farmers and students."
Lee said voters had the opportunity to say "no" to the bigger parties in Saturday's elections.
Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (
Wu, unveiling the party's latest commercial at a media conference yesterday morning, urged voters to cast their ballots for the KMT.
"I have been doing some thinking on why we always lose battles we should not have lost. If [the KMT] had been united [in 2004], Chen Shui-bian would not have had a chance," Wu said.
"We really have to ask everyone for emergency help because this election is unfair and partial. Every single ballot is very important," he said. "If you don't vote, A-bian [the president] will laugh behind our backs," Wu said.
He said the KMT would not forget the "painful experience of the 319 shooting incident" ahead of the presidential election in 2004. Nor would it forget the pain after KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Chun-ying's (黃俊英) lead was reversed overnight during the mayoral election in December 2006, he said.
"I consider myself a Buddhist, but for the people and Taiwan, I will go all out. Although I am a gentle person, I will be very tough for the next five days," Wu said.
When approached for comment while campaigning in Taoyuan, KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS