On the eve of the nation's first-ever televised presidential debate, a pan-blue camp task force made up of think-tank members, acade-mics, specialists and legislators last night came together to compile electoral data for Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Lien Chan (
The debate will take place this afternoon, with President Chen Shui-bian (
According to pan-blue alliance campaign spokesman Pang Chien-kuo (
Campaign aides said yesterday that Lien had adjusted his packed schedule to prepare for today's public head-to-head with Chen.
Lien's preparation for the debate included analysis of questions and style of answers as well as managing time.
Lien has also been consulting with Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
After only a few days of preparation, Pang said that Lien's debating skills were "getting better and better."
While acknowledging that Chen was "a skilled debater," KMT Legislator Yu Tzu-shiang (
"Lien might not appear as skillful a debater in comparison to Chen, who is experienced in these things," Yu said.
"But it is exactly for this reason that Lien will work to differentiate himself from such a skillful debater, and show himself to be not just someone prone to yelling out slogans and doing nothing," he said.
Noting that Lien did not require too much "special practice," Yu said that what the pan-blue camp aimed to present was "Lien's mature characteristics."
"During the debate, Lien will aim to display his character -- stable and calm -- while at the same time demonstrate his command of the issues at hand," Yu added.
In response to doubts that Lien would not score as high as Chen answering questions without notice, Yu said that "the pan-blue camp believes that the people of Taiwan would want to have a national leader who is poised, mature and stable and not just someone who is good at calling out
slogans."
Adding that Lien possessed comprehensive experience in administration, Yu said that Lien would not have difficulty in taking command of policy issues in today's debate.
Lien's running mate, People First Party Chairman James Soong (
Also see story:
Historic presidential debate will offer simultaneous translation into Hakka
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS