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Legislative elections and referendums: DPP official apologizes for gaffe in campaign ad

Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh telephones voters to canvass votes for DPP candidates in Kaohsiung yesterday. PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-I, TAIPEI TIMES

Director of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Culture and Information Department Hsieh Hsin-ni (謝欣霓) yesterday apologized for inadvertently omitting three of the party's legislative candidates from an ad the party placed in a Chinese-language newspaper yesterday.

"This is my mistake and I will take responsibility and apologize," Hsieh told a news conference. "If the mistake contributes to their losing the election, I will withdraw from politics if it is requested by any one of them."

The DPP placed a full-page advert in the Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday to promote its legislative candidates. But, missing from the pictures of the party's legislative hopefuls were Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) of Tainan City, Yu Hsiang-yao (游翔耀) of Keelung and Chen Chin-teh (陳金德) of Ilan.

Hsieh yesterday said she is responsible for all the DPP's print advertisements and would take the blame for the mistake.

"This has been the biggest mistake I've ever made since devoting myself to politics," she said in tears. "I apologize for that."

Hsieh called on voters in the three constituencies not to forget the three candidates because of her mistake.

In response, Chen Chin-teh yesterday at a separate setting said: "Mistakes like this happen. I understand. I am not too worried because I believe the Ilan public will support me and help me win."

Meanwhile, it appeared that the DPP's heavyweights had different views on who should take responsibility for the party's election performance today.

"It's common practice internationally that the party chairman bears the consequences of a party's election performance," DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday when asked to comment on the issue.

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who doubles as DPP chairman, is not an exception, Frank Hsieh said.

His views apparently ran counter to those of Chen Shui-bian.

Chen Shui-bian said in an interview with the Chinese-language Apple Daily on Thursday that the DPP chairman's responsibility for election performance should not be a matter to be looked into until the presidential election on March 22 is over because "the two elections should be regarded as one election."

When approached by reporters for comments on the disagreement between Frank Hsieh and Chen Shui-bian, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said Chen would not resign from the chairmanship if the DPP loses the legislative election today.

"I don't believe anybody would want to take over the position at the moment. It's Chen's duty to finish his term," Lu said.
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