Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday of overlooking the importance of the economy and failing to improve the situation as former premier.
"Hsieh cannot avoid the need to discuss economic problems. As a former premier, he can't deflect his responsibility for the lagging economy during the past seven years," Ma said during a visit to Taitung County.
Responding to Hsieh's remarks that Taiwanese are not "pigs or other animals who do not care about the next generation or winning the respect of others," Ma said the country and its people have no dignity without a strong economy.
"People are not pigs or other animals who only care about getting fed. But the question is: Has the hunger of Taiwanese been satisfied at all?" Ma said.
"Does Hsieh realize how the nation's competitiveness has dropped over the past seven years?" he said.
KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (
Su said the party would distribute campaign material to more than 50,000 local branch leaders, who will solicit support for Ma and the party's candidates in the legislative election.
During a meeting with directors at the party's Tainan branch yesterday, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said he expected the leaders to be Ma's representatives and to solicit support for Ma by making frequent visits and telephone calls to grassroots supporters.
Su said the leaders will also promote party policies and shed light on DPP "smear campaigns."
KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) also lashed out at Hsieh over his remarks, saying the DPP had failed to understand the people's basic needs, such as clothing, housing, transportation, education and leisure.
It is unlikely that the government's referendum bid on seeking UN membership alone will help Taiwanese meet these needs, she said when asked for comment.
Kuo said Hsieh did not dare accept Ma's invitation to debate their economic platforms because the debate would only show the "embarrassing achievements" of the DPP over the past seven years.
She said Hsieh's remark was just an attempt to shift public focus away from economic issues.
Asked for comments while in Kaohsiung, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
In response to Ma's comments, Hsieh (
Hsieh said the issue of UN membership was important, as is safeguarding the nation's dignity. Ma should not underestimate their importance, he said.
Hsieh said he was also open to discussing the "cross-strait common market" proposed by Ma's running mate, Vincent Siew (蕭萬長).
"I will not avoid such issues, so I am asking Ma not to shun the debate on UN membership," he said.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang and Ko Shu-ling
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS