Dec. 1 elections: DPP wants return to political stability

The DPP tried to sway undecided voters yesterday by saying that only by electing the DPP as the largest party in the legislature can political chaos be eliminated and the country's sovereignty protected.

"This year's election is a crucial test for deciding whether Taiwan will return to the path of sustainable development or continue to fall into miserable disorder," DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday.

Hsieh said there are several reasons why the DPP must become the biggest party in the Legislative Yuan. He said the performance of DPP lawmakers during the past three years was much better than that of other parties. The DPP chairman added that only his party will fully support Cabinet decisions and break the deadlock in the Legislative Yuan.

"And now while all three opposition parties jointly advocate China's `one country, two systems,' only the DPP can protect Taiwan's sovereignty," Hsieh claimed, coloring other parties' cross-strait positions as being pro-China.

Hsieh reiterated the party's promise to halve the number of seats in the legislature and create single-member election districts.

Responding to KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) plan to form a "national alliance for upholding the Constitution" after the election, Hsieh said that Lien should ask himself whether his proposed "confederation" with China violate the nation's Constitution.

"We can even question whether the real purpose of Lien's constitutional alliance is to protect the KMT's assets," Hsieh added.

On the eve of election day, the DPP asked supporters to vote according to its "vote allocation strategy," which would help ensure all DPP candidates get elected.

"Whether we [the DPP] will win more seats than the KMT will depend on how many DPP candidates get elected in Taipei and Kaohsiung cities," Hsieh said.

"If our 16 candidates in those two cities can win at least 13 seats, the DPP's goal -- to best the KMT by at least two seats -- will be ensured."

The DPP asked its supporters in some counties and cities to cast their votes for different DPP candidates in accordance with the last digit of their ID number or based on the month in which they were born.

DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) echoed Hsieh, saying that there were many rumors spreading via the Internet to mislead voters. Wu urged people to follow the party's allocation instructions, which had been publicized in newspaper advertisements.