In an attempt to increase voter turnout, the Taipei City Wanhua District Office has come up with an advertisement nominally for seeking marriage, which includes government employees who are helping with the election and who are also handsome bachelors and pretty bachelorettes in hopes of attracting more voters and finding potential spouses. “None of us are married. Would you like to get acquainted? You will have the perfect opportunity on election day on Jan. 14.”
There are pictures of 11 civil servants who are helping with election matters printed on the promotional flyers the Wanhua District Office has made to encourage voter turnout. The Chinese characters for “seeking marriage” in very large print actually give people the impression that it is an advertisement for a matchmaking club. People’s reactions have been split between those that think it is creative and those who say it is a misuse of feminine charm.
Wanhua District head Chou Te-wei said, “Our colleagues don’t have time to find boyfriends and girlfriends because they’re so busy working every day in their civil service capacity, so I have a huge responsibility.” Chou laughingly said that if this can bring better luck to his co-workers in finding spouses, he would happily serve as grand matchmaker. Election event employees are not the only ones exerting all the effort. Chou has also made life-size cardboard cutouts of himself as part of the promotional events for the election, and has placed them outside MRT station exits as well as the Red House in the Ximen area to keep reminding people to use their precious votes on Jan. 14.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY KYLE JEFFCOAT)
Photo: Chiu Shao-wen, Taipei Times
照片: 自由時報記者邱紹雯翻攝
台北市萬華區公所催票出奇招,推出「徵婚啟事」廣告,以公所未婚的俊男、美女選務人員為號召,希望吸引民眾來投票、找姻緣。「我們都未婚,想認識我們嗎?一月十四日投票日,給您一個最好的機會。」
萬華區公所今年宣導踴躍投票的文宣品,放上十一名未婚選務人員的照片,斗大的「徵婚」字眼,讓人一度誤以為是婚友社的廣告;民眾的反應也很兩極,有人認為創意十足,也有人直呼「未免太犧牲色相」。
「同仁每天為公務繁忙,沒時間交男女朋友,我也要負很大責任。」萬華區長周德威笑稱,若能藉此替同仁們促成好姻緣更是好事一樁,他也樂於當「大媒人」。不只選務人員 「潦落去(台語)」,周德威也製作與自己同比例大小的人形立牌,配合宣傳活動放置在捷運出入口或西門紅樓外,隨時提醒路過民眾,十四日出門投下寶貴一票。
(自由時報記者邱紹雯)
Photo: EPA
照片:歐新社
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