President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) arrived in Taipei County last night where he asked throngs of supporters to vote for incumbent commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and other DPP legislative candidates.
"Su has governed the county well in the last four years," Chen said. "I beg you to give him a second term in the December polls, if you also appreciate his performance." The president said Su's challenger Wang Chien-shien (王建火宣) does not really care about the county, as Wang entered the race in an obvious attempt to get the opposition parties to stay united.
"Wang played the same trick back in 1998 when he ran for Taipei mayoralty with an aim to help then-KMT mayoral candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)," he told the crowd. "That explains why he had mounted a sluggish campaign but attacked me fiercely."
Chen, who lost the 1998 mayoral race by a slim margin, urged the audience not to vote for the rival camp, which is treating the December election as a prelude to the presidential race in 2004.
The president said the power transfer has yet to be completed as the legislature is still controlled by the opposition.
"The opposition has given me a hard time in the last year and a half," Chen said. "You must help send DPP candidates to the legislature so they can settle scores with the opposition on my behalf."
Chen also expressed his happiness that Taiwan gained WTO entry, calling it a hard-fought victory. "It is not an easy thing for us to enter this international body, he said"
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