“Taiwan NEXT” will be one of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) most prominent campaign slogans heading into next year’s elections, a party official said yesterday.
“These two words represent a lot to us,” spokesperson Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told the Taipei Times. “They represent something new and clear for the public. These two words will show the public exactly what values they are voting for.”
MAIN IDEAS
Hsu said the English slogan, decided by Tsai, would represent the candidate’s ideas on everything from environmental protection and policies for young voters to a proposal to phase out nuclear power by 2025.
It will replace the English words “I Love New,” used by Tsai’s campaign during last year’s special municipality elections, when she lost in her mayoral bid for New Taipei City.
“It’s still the same basic idea, to show people that Tsai represents a new era and a new generation,” Hsu said.
Out with the old
Asked by reporters about the motto during a campaign event, Tsai said that a “next Taiwan, a new Taiwan, obviously needs a new president.”
Referring to US President Barack Obama’s 2008 message of “change,” Hsu said she hoped people would automatically associate the word “next” with the DPP candidate.
“We hope that the slogan will appeal [to voters], especially as a symbol to first-time voters. This generation of young people has different ideas and a different view of Taiwan from 20 years ago,” Hsu said.
Already there are signs that the -slogan will be featured prominently in her campaign. During a visit to the Philippines last week, “Taiwan NEXT” was featured in bold red letters on a podium used by Tsai during a speech.
Her campaign has begun printing circular pins featuring the words “Taiwan NEXT 2012,” while staffers have been incorporating the word “NEXT!” into their Internet aliases for online correspondence.
The disclosure of Tsai’s election slogan follows President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) naming of his election campaign office as “Taiwan Cheers, Great.”
Campaign office
Tsai’s first campaign office is expected to open in Taipei City on Monday, after she announced her campaign team on Wednesday.
In 2004, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) announced that his election slogan would be “Yes Taiwan,” with an exclamation point in the shape of the island.
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