Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), the Dem-ocratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate in the Taipei mayoral election yesterday, vowed to build Taipei City into a "beautiful city" by applying his experience as mayor of Kaohsiung City.
Hsieh made the pledge yesterday at a news conference held to unveil his campaign platform. Acting Kaohsiung Mayor Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) and poet and political critic Lee Min-yung (李敏勇) also took part in the event to show their support for Hsieh.
Referring to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin's (郝龍斌) criticism of his [Hsieh's] idea to bid for the right to sponsor the 2020 Olympic Games, Hsieh yesterday lambasted Hao for being "pessimistic."
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
It is important for the leader of the country's capital city to harbor hope, he said.
"Hau said that my suggestion is impractical. Many people had the same attitude when I was striving to win the right to sponsor the 2009 World Games for Kaohsiung City when I was Kaohsiung mayor. But I did it," Hsieh said.
"Success belongs to people who have confidence," he said, adding that he believed his successful experiences in Kaohsiung City will help Taipei "to be reborn."
Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Shu Ching-chiang (蘇進強) yesterday said the party has not and will not ask its Taipei mayoral candidate Clara Chou (周玉蔻) to withdraw from the election.
Ever since Hsieh announced last Thursday that he would run for Taipei mayor, there has been a rumor that the TSU has been trying to dissuade Chou from running.
"I have not heard such a rumor in the TSU. Perhaps there might be such an opinion among party supporters but I am sure that the TSU will not revoke Chou's candidacy," Shu said.
"If the TSU has to dissuade its candidates from joining in elections whenever the DPP nominates a strong candidate, the TSU might as well just disband," he added.
Chou yesterday said she will not quit the campaign and will insist until the end on running.
"I urge my rivals not to spread rumors intentionally meant to do harm to me," Chou said.
Although Hsieh did not respond to Chou's remarks yesterday, a Hsieh campaign member, DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (王世堅), yesterday denied that Hsieh or anyone in his camp had spread rumors about Chou.
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