The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced its anniversary festivities in Taichung would proceed as planned tomorrow, despite speculation that it would be canceled because of typhoon reconstruction efforts.
The last-minute announcement by senior party officials yesterday means that the DPP will be holding its first celebration since 2008, after festivities last year were canceled because of Typhoon Morakot.
The daylong celebration, which includes an open-air marketplace in the afternoon and stage events later at night, is expected to draw more than 10,000 people, according to initial estimates by party officials.
The annual party celebrations will be held in Taichung for the second time. The DPP hopes the festivities will boost the electoral chances for Greater Taichung mayoral candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) in the pan-blue stronghold.
The marketplace will be open from 11am to 4pm beside the city’s Tiger City mall. A number of politicians from DPP-administered local municipalities are expected to be present at the market, which will include dozens of specialty shops and stalls from around the country.
At 6pm, the festivities will move to Fongyuan City (豐原) in Taichung County, where senior party leaders and DPP mayoral candidates, with the exception of Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), will take the stage.
There, a short film featuring the party’s campaign theme this year, titled Glory, Happiness and the New Generation, will be shown.
The DPP, which has its anniversary on Tuesday, came close to postponing or canceling its festivities after Typhoon Fanapi dumped more than 800mm of rain on southern Taiwan last weekend, causing heavy flooding.
DPP spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said the decision to hold the celebration took into account reports that cleanup efforts were proceeding smoothly.
“We have reached the stage where ongoing reconstruction efforts in Kaohsiung and Pingtung are continuing without interruption,” Lin said.
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