DPP says it will `light up Taiwan' on election eve

On Friday, the eve of the presidential election, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will hold a series of "light up Taiwan" campaign activities around the nation as a grand finale to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election bid.

The activity will involve four large campaign rallies to be held simultaneously in Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taoyuan and Taipei.

People at the rallies will be asked to bring things such as flashlights, fluorescent sticks and firecrackers for a light show at 8:08:08pm as the climax of Chen's campaign.

DPP Deputy-Secretary General Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) yesterday said: "The `light up Taiwan' campaign aims to brighten up Taiwan in the campaign for a historic referendum, which is being closely watched by the world."

"This is Taiwan's first time to hold a referendum, and we want the world to see clearly our work here," Lee said.

As well as highlighting the importance of the referendum, the "light up Taiwan" campaign was also aimed at "wiping out the `black-gold' politics" of Chen's opponents, Lee said, referring to political corruption.

Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), Chen, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and leading DPP politicians will take the stage at the four rally sites across the nation.

Of the four rallies, the DPP views the one in Taipei City as the most important.

The party is hoping to attract a half a million people people to Taipei's Chungshan Soccer Stadium to counter the pan-blue camp's rally of 300,000 people at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall the same night.

Chen and Lu are expected to tour the rallies in Taichung, Taoyuan and Taipei on Friday night. Lee and Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) will participate in the rally in Taipei, DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will supervise the rally in Taoyuan, Premier Yu Shyi-kun will manage Taichung's rally, and Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) will rally for Chen in Kaohsiung.