The pro-independence Taiwan Nation Alliance (TNA) is to stage a “mega event” to further boost morale for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential and legislative election campaigns at the end of the year, planning to hold major parades in the six special municipalities and inviting former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) to be the convener-in-chief.
The alliance is said to have resolved through its central committee to hold the event, with the aim to giving its full support to DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) for the restoration of a Taiwan-centered administration, and to the legislative candidates of the DPP, the Taiwan Solidarity Union and other “third political forces” to help them secure a majority in the legislature.
According to the group’s preliminary plan, the parades will take place in the six special municipalities, with the one in Taipei splitting into three major courses marching from Wanhua Train Station, Jhongxiao E Road and Daan Forest Park and converging finally on Ketagalan Boulevard.
The Taipei parade is scheduled to feature live exchanges on screens with the parades taking place in New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, according to the plan, and the event might also be expanded further to include other cities.
The Taiwan Nation Alliance, an alliance consisting of dozens of Taiwan-centered groups, was previously known as the Hand-in-Hand Taiwan Alliance.
With Lee as the convener-in-chief it staged a Hand-in-Hand Rally on Feb. 28, 2004 that created momentum and helped former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) win re-election that year.
The alliance has decided to invite Lee to again act as the chief convener of the event scheduled to take place in December.
TNA chairman Wu Shu-min (吳樹民), secretary-general Wei Jui-ming (魏瑞明), executive member and former DPP chairman Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) and several other alliance members visited the former president on Monday.
Lee, according to a source, said he considers Tsai to have even brighter prospects in next year’s election after Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) emerged as the presumptive Chinese Nationalist Party presidential nominee.
Lee said he highly approves of the staging of the event in December, adding that the presidential election should not be the only focus of its endeavor, because winning a majority in the legislature is equally important.
For that reason, any coordination has to be made with the DPP legislative candidates of respective electoral districts for the planning of the major parades to be held at the local level to mobilize and call out more participants, he said.
Wei said that because Lee has now agreed to be the event’s convener-in-chief, the alliance will soon visit Tsai to invite the DPP to co-host the rally.
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