DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (
At a rally for TSU city council candidates last night in Kaohsiung, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Lee said that construction projects have sprouted in the city since Hsieh took over as mayor.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The city now competes with Taipei because Hsieh's leadership has resulted in the launch of a rapid transit system, the cleanup of Love River and an improvement in the quality of tap water," Lee said, implying that former mayor Wu Den-yi (
At the rally, national policy adviser Alice King (
Earlier at the rally, Hsieh expressed his gratitude for the help TSU supporters have given him.
At another rally yesterday, held for Hsieh and DPP city councilor candidates carrying the theme "Kaohsiung people, stand up," first lady Wu Shu-chen (
"Things like this have almost made the election meaningless," Wu said.
Hsieh said at the rally that his trip to Taipei yesterday afternoon had clarified controversial issues relating to the check.
But the check remained a hot issue in Kaohsiung. When asked whether Huang would also take time out of his campaign to respond to allegations, Huang's spokesman Lin Yi-shih (
"It's Hsieh's own business to prove his innocence. How could he request others to give up the election campaign?" Lin said.
Huang was supported yesterday by the pan-blue camp, which carried out a march downtown to promote his campaign.
Huang, who was dressed in military garb to show his combat effectiveness, admitted that Hsieh would benefit by receiving support from President Chen Shui-bian (
"However, this is a mayoral election rather than a warm-up exercise for the 2004 presidential election," Huang said, "What I have is my resolution to serve residents," he said.
Both Huang and Hsieh yesterday did their best to win support from labor and public servants.
Huang held a rally to appeal to labor groups, saying that he knew their hardship because he is the son of a blacksmith.
Meanwhile, former National Police Administration director-general Yao Kao-chiao (
"Hsieh's consideration for both police and firemen demonstrates his vision to improve public security," Yao said.
Yao said he did not fear possible punishment from the KMT for his support of Hsieh.
Yao said he met with Hsieh more than 10 times recently to discuss strategies to improve public security in Kaohsiung.
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