Vowing to secure the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) political turf in southern Taiwan in the year-end local elections, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
The meeting was held down south in a bid to highlight the party's attention to local concerns and raise publicity for its candidates in the area in the year-end elections.
It was the first time that the DPP held its Central Standing Committee meeting outside of Taipei this year.
PHOTO: CHU YU-LIN, TAIPEI TIMES
The party has said it will hold one CSC meeting each month outside of Taipei until the December polls.
Local DPP leaders from five counties and cities attended the meeting to report on their achievements and campaign strategies.
At the CSC meeting, Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興), acting Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) and acting Pingtung County Commissioner Wu Ying-wen (吳應文) made presentations to Su and other high-ranking officials and unveiled their new goals and construction projects that they are planning for their next terms.
The focal figure at the meeting was the party's candidate for Pingtung County commissioner, former DPP legislator Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻), who proposed a solution to the recent water shortages.
Tsao suggested that the five local governments in the south build a dam in Pingtung County to reserve and recycle groundwater.
"As long as we conduct strict monitoring, pumping groundwater will not spoil the stratum, but will supplement supplies when water shortages occur," Tsao said.
Su praised the local chiefs' contributions to local construction projects and encouraged them to continue to work hard.
"Good performances will be the most effective appeal to voters," Su said, reminding local chiefs that Taipei's plans are not necessarily suitable in southern Taiwan.
Three senior committee mem-bers, Vice President Annette Lu (
Su, who is a former Pingtung County commissioner and Taipei County commissioner, said that he felt at home in Pingtung.
To Su, the commissioner elections in Pingtung and Taipei counties are races the party cannot afford to lose, DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan (
"Therefore, the DPP chose to hold its weekly meeting in Pingtung County and will try its best to help Tsao win," Cheng said.
The next CSC meeting to be held outside Taipei will come sometime next month, but party officials have not yet decided whether it will be held in Taoyuan or Miaoli county.
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