Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) will have to work harder if he hopes to defeat Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) in November, senior DPP officials said yesterday.
In its latest survey earlier this month, the Chinese-language daily China Times showed Hu with a 6-point lead, which represents an impressive showing by the DPP candidate, who was more accustomed to trailing by double digits.
However, there are concerns that the momentum is slowing and that the “golden intersection” — referring to the point at which Su would be close to overtaking Hu in the polls — may come too late for the Nov. 27 elections, which are just two months away.
PHOTO: OU SU-MEI, TAIPEI TIMES
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) said the opposition party expected to send more party officials and logistical support to Taichung in coming weeks.
Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), a chief election strategist for the DPP, arrived in the city last week to aid Su's campaign full time.
“We will quicken our pace in Greater Taichung,” Wu said. “Hu has been mayor for the last nine years; it's time for a change.”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has traditionally done well in Taichung city and county, an area that will become known as Greater Taichung after the special municipality elections.
In 2005, Hu obtained 58.3 percent of the vote against 39 percent for DPP candidate Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), a former Cabinet spokesperson.
In Taichung County, incumbent commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (黃仲生) took 59.5 percent of the vote against 39.1 percent for former DPP legislator Chiu Tai-san (邱太三).
Last weekend, the DPP held its annual party celebrations in Taichung, attracting thousands to hear speeches by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), in a move designed to give the DPP candidate a boost.
The last-minute decision to cast Su, who has prior experience as minister of the interior and Council of Agriculture minister, over Lin was designed to appeal to voters in Taichung City, who are perceived to be more interested in law and order, and those in Taichung County, whose focus is more on farming.
“We recognize we may need to do better in Taichung County. The best-case scenario would be if voters chose the DPP as they did in the 2004 presidential election,” Wu said. “This is what we need to work toward. We cannot just sit down and wait for it to happen.”
Wu said that based on prior election experience, encouraging residents — especially younger voters — to show up and vote would increase the opposition party's chances.
“No matter where in Taiwan, younger voters usually choose the DPP,” but these are types of voters who usually have the lowest turnout,” Wu said.
“Our policy is to think of a method that will encourage them to show up at the polling stations,” Wu said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS