People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) campaigned in Tainan yesterday, where he pledged to lead the nation out of its difficulties if elected and help it return to prosperity.
Soong began his day by visiting the Chenghuang Temple (城隍廟), where he shook hands and posed for photographs with PFP supporters before entering the temple grounds to offer incense.
In a speech at the Selflessness Pavilion (無私亭), Soong said Tainan was where he began his campaign after he announced his presidential bid last year, adding that he would run the nation with the public in mind, which would honor the venue of his speech.
Photo: CNA
“I would care for all public affairs, great as well as small, and listen to all voices, including those that are angry or critical,” he said.
Soong said that he would not “fight vicious partisan battles,” and that he would not “concede [public] interests to corporations, or tolerate unscrupulous officials.”
He said his candidacy is about providing the public with a “third choice,” which is apropos to his ballot number, urging the crowd to vote for “No. 3, James Soong.”
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Later yesterday, Soong held a rally in Kaohsiung, that according to event organizers drew about 38,000 people.
Soong also claimed that the passion of the crowd made his “eyes wet with tears” and that if elected, he would “end partisanship with the power of the people and recover Taiwanese values.”
Soong's daughter, Soong Cheng-mai (宋鎮邁), also made her first public appearance at the rally by taking the stage before her father.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
She said that she is “feeling heart pangs” for her father because he is “a man in his 70s who is still working hard to perform “a public service.”
While her late mother Chen Wan-shui (陳萬水) is “no longer with us” to “shake hands with all the good people here and knock on doors,” Soong Cheng-mai said she would necessitate her entry to the campaign team to help with her father's campaign.
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