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DPP tries to boost support with rally

Worried about its performance in the National Assembly elections, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a large campaign rally in Taipei County yesterday evening in a bid to reverse a decline in support seen in a recent poll.

Party heavyweights such as Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), senior presidential adviser Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), former Council for Hakka Affairs chairman Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) and DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) delivered speeches at the rally, dubbed "Anti-war for protecting Taiwan." Each of them denounced Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) recent trip to China and stressed that the election on May 14 is the key to protecting and consolidating Taiwan's democracy.

According to the latest poll by the DPP, voter support for the party has slumped by 7 percentage points, to about 33 percent. Support for the KMT meanwhile reached about 34 percent, an increase of about 4 percentage points.

Commenting on the decline in support, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said that the violent conflicts at the airport on April 26 had been a blow to the party because the government had been unable to stop the clashes in time, and consequently many pan-green supporters were injured.

"We think that the authorities should have stopped the violence in the forbidden area [for protests] on that day," he said.

"Although we don't agree with protests that violate the law, I think DPP supporters also have the freedom to voice their opinions, especially given that Lien's trip is so controversial in Taiwan and most people here are angry that he condemned Taiwan's democracy in China," Su said.

"Adding in the recent `China fever,' I am worried that our election result might be not as good as we had expected," Su said during a visit to the DPP's caucus at Taipei City Council yesterday morning.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) said yesterday that the DPP's slumping support reflects the public's dissatisfaction with the government's changeable stance on Lien's and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (宋楚瑜) visits to China.

"The government did not stick to its commitment and promise to stand fast on Taiwan's sovereignty and autonomy," Chen said. "President Chen has to make clear in which direction he will lead Taiwan. What he has done recently is just like making a left turn signal while turning right."

"If the president does not explain the change, I believe that all the people of Taiwan will voice their distrust through their votes on May 14," Chen Chien-ming said.

In reaction to Soong's journey to China, Chen Chien-ming said that the TSU will not tell its supporters to protest Soong's departure today since President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has endorsed the trip.

"President Chen will have to deal with the aftermath from Soong's words and deeds in China since he commissioned Soong to take a message to Chinese leaders," Chen said.
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