Chen prays for Taipei win

President Chen Shui-bian, second left, accompanies DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Ying-yuan to solicit support at Ti Hua Street yesterday. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

Stressing importance of reform, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday called on Taipei voters to support DPP contender Lee Ying-yuan (李應元).

"The screws to city governance have loosened over these past four years. Every [Taipei citizen] should support Lee, who is No. 1 in team-work, efficiency, reform and cooperation," Chen said.

Recommending Lee's candidacy to passers-by, Chen made the remark yesterday while accompanying Lee to a temple located in the Wenshan District.

"Support Lee to be the new leader of the Taipei City Government [so he can] tighten these screws," Chen called out to the crowd.

Emphasizing the central government and local administrations should work together, Chen called on voters to support Lee.

"The central government and the local administration should cooperate with each other," Chen said. "Local governments should not highlight individuals, consist of a one-man show or oppose the central government like the incumbent does."

"Lee has demonstrated his cooperative spirit during his tenure as the Cabinet's secretary-general," Chen said. "Only when there is a No. 1 city administration can there be a No. 1 city mayor and No. 1 city governance."

Aside visiting a temple in Wenshan, Chen and Lee also made a visit to other temples in the Peitou and Ta-an districts while appealing to passers-by to support Lee's mayoral bid.

Prior visiting temples with Chen, Lee hit the campaign trail at the Fuming street market and spoke in front of the World Trade Center with his running mate Regis Chen (陳朝威). Meanwhile, Lee's wife, Laura Huang (黃月桂), took part in a campaign motorcade on behalf of her husband.

A rally was held by Lee's camp later last night at Ming Chuang Park in Sungshan District.

Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) and Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) were among the political heavyweights stumping for Lee last night at the rally.

Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday was also tied to a hectic campaign schedule. He went to Wanhua, Neihu and Nankang to drum up support for his campaign.

Later night, Ma's camp staged a mass campaign rally at Lung-an Elementary School in Ta-an district.

Ma's featured several prominent KMT figures, including Legislative Yuan Vice Speaker Chiang Ping-kun (江丙坤), former economics minister Wang Chih-kang (王志剛), and KMT legislators Apollo Chen (陳學聖) and John Chang (章孝嚴).