President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) concluded her election campaign with a rally in Taipei last night, saying that today’s presidential and legislative elections would “decide the future of Taiwan’s young people.”
“Let us vote for a leader who is guiding Taiwan to link with the international community and participate in the world economy, not a candidate who wants to lock Taiwan to China,” said Tsai, who is seeking re-election as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate.
“This is a vote for Taiwanese to cast their ballots for democracy and freedom, in defiance of China’s constant threat of annexation,” she told the crowd on Ketagalan Boulevard. “It is a vote for Taiwan to have a better future, and for Taiwan to move forward.”
Photo: CNA
She asked people to urge their friends and relatives in other cities and counties to cast their party votes for the DPP and not split them among other parties, “because we need to elect DPP legislators to retain a legislative majority, so I can do my job better, finish reforms, and safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty and protect our homeland.”
“The world’s eyes are on us, to see what Taiwanese will choose,” Tsai said, adding that people must choose a leader who has undertaken new initiatives and has the courage to push for needed reforms, and has shown real leadership.
The DPP organized rallies in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung and Kaohsiung yesterday, along with numerous smaller events elsewhere in the nation.
Photo: Huang Hsu-lei, Taipei Times
In Kaohsiung earlier, a “Retake Kaohsiung” event was held at a plaza next to a metro station in Fengshan District (鳳山), where Tsai said that her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) opponent, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), has shown few accomplishments for the city.
“You were deceived by Han last time [in the 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral election] and you must not be fooled again,” she said.
“We have known that most Kaohsiung residents are not happy. You feel distressed because you were cheated by Han, who a few months after being elected mayor, abandoned you, choosing to contest the presidency,” Tsai said, adding that city residents were a springboard for Han’s ambition.
Tsai said that Han had a long list of promises that came to nothing
“Has the Love River Ferris wheel been built? Has Arnold Schwarzenegger come to Kaohsiung? Was there drilling for oil in waters near Taiping Island (太平島, Itu Aba)?” she asked.
“Have Kaohsiung people become wealthy?” she asked, to which the crowd replied with a resounding “No.”
Tsai touted her governance, saying that despite the many difficulties she instituted judicial reform, pension reform, and improved welfare and education.
“If Han is elected president, Taiwan would face endless feuds, confrontations and conflict 365 days of the year,” she said.
Organizers estimated that the crowd in Kaoshiung was 300,000, while a rally in Taichung reported more than 70,000, with a similar number for New Taipei City and an estimated 500,000 in Taipei.
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