President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday acknowledged facing a tough battle in the presidential election and talked up his achievements in building a clean government and improving cross-strait relations, as he stumped for voter support.
Speaking at the launch of his campaign headquarters in Taoyuan County, Ma thanked supporters for giving him about 65 percent of the votes in the county in the 2008 presidential election and urged their continued support for him, promising to bring progress and stability if re-elected.
“I received 310,000 more votes than my opponent in Taoyuan in the previous election, but the situation has changed. Many have forgotten about the corruption of the former administration and we are facing a tough battle this time,” he said.
Accompanied by former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and his son, Taoyuan County Commissioner John Wu (吳志揚), Ma listed the government’s achievements in reviving the economy, promoting a just society and bringing peace across the Taiwan Strait.
“The KMT is capable of improving cross-strait relations and consequently creating more international space for Taiwan ... The public should elect a president who can maintain national security and bring prosperity to the nation,” he said.
Following Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) four-day campaign tour of Hakka -constituencies last week, Ma yesterday campaigned in the same constituencies, meeting local supporters and KMT members in New Taipei City (新北市), Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli.
Ma’s call for support came after recent polls indicating declining support for his ticket and a tightening race with Tsai, believed to now be neck-and-neck
In a poll released yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News, Ma and his running mate, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), had a small lead over Tsai and her running mate, DPP -Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), at 41 percent versus 36 percent. Support for the Ma-Wu ticket fell 2 percent from the newspaper’s poll last month, while the Tsai-Su ticket gained 4 percent.
While acknowledging fighting a close race in the presidential election, Ma defended his efforts to bring positive change to Taiwan in an interview with Time magazine yesterday and said such reforms would continue under his administration.
“During the interview, the reporter asked me to give reasons why people should support my re-election bid, and I said I changed Taiwan, and the nation has undergone great transformation under my administration. Change has happened, and reform must not stop,” he said.
Speaking during a rally in New Taipei City, Wu said the KMT and its supporters must do everything they can to secure a Ma victory in the election.
With the gap now down to most poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, every vote will be critically important, Wu said.
“As long as we win New Taipei City, especially Banciao District (板橋), we will remain in power,” Wu said.
New Taipei City, with 3.08 million registered voters is the largest constituency in Taiwan.
Additional reporting by CNA
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