The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) mayoral candidate for Greater Tainan, William Lai (賴清德), yesterday struck a note of caution amid supporters’ optimism that victory is a near-certainty.
“Too many people believe victory is in the bag — that’s the biggest problem,” Lai told reporters after calling a press conference to call on supporters to show up and vote today.
Widely regarded as the frontrunner in the Greater Tainan race, Lai said he had lost about 5.4kg since launching his campaign. He has worn out his shoes and the skin on the back of his hands is tanned from canvassing the streets every day, Lai said.
“Even though Tainan is a DPP stronghold, I am not as optimistic as many people are that I will win because the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] has strong ambitions,” he said.
Lai said his KMT opponent, Kuo Tien-tsai (郭添財), had tremendous resources and money, which helped Kuo run national ads claiming that if he were elected, more resources from the KMT-led central government would be directed toward Tainan.
Kuo also ran negative ad campaigns that included personal attacks on Lai and his parents, Lai said.
“I hope that every compatriot who cares about the country’s democracy does not refrain from voting just because they assume I will win the election,” Lai said, appealing to registered voters working or studying outside Tainan to return home to vote.
Lai said he would turn Greater Tainan into an attractive city where people would want to come back and live.
“Some say a mayor is like a captain or a helmsman, but I think he or she is more like a housewife, as the city must be maintained so that people feel at home,” he said.
The negative ads unleashed by Kuo’s camp undermined the quality of the campaign and would impair the nation’s democratic progress, Lai added.
Kuo, meanwhile, said he was confident he could win as a shift had occurred.
“Toward the end of the campaign, the election has turned into a neck-and-neck race. The rate of support for me is on the rise and [Lai’s] is declining,” Kuo said.
Accompanied by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on a visit to the Koxinga Shrine, where Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功) is enshrined, Kuo also toured nearby areas in the afternoon to drum up support.
“Cheng Chen-kung is a national hero. If he had not driven the Dutch away, we could still be under Dutch rule today ... I hope Cheng Chen-kung blesses Kuo so that he can win in Tainan,” Ma said.
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