Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday hosted the party’s 22 county commissioner and mayoral nominees for the Nov. 24 local elections at KMT party headquarters in Taipei.
Addressing reporters in the audience, Wu asked the public to give the KMT another chance and promised that the party would strive to achieve an honest and efficient government, a robust economy, a harmonious society, and peaceful and stable cross-strait relations.
The candidates posed for a group photograph with Wu before speaking to reporters at the KMT media center.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Wu, KMT deputy chairman Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and the candidates signed a mock contract to symbolize their commitment to the four promises.
Wu then handed the candidates zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice dumplings) filled with garlic, as well as frozen heads of garlic. The Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) pronunciation of the word for “garlic” is a homophone with the expression for winning an election.
Addressing older people and voters in rural communities, Wu said that he has asked all candidates to abide by the law, economize and make an all-out effort to act in accordance with the will of the public.
Wu praised the efforts of the previous KMT administration, but added that the party suffered defeat in the 2016 presidential elections, so it must now seek innovation and solidarity to recover.
He asked the public for another chance to “rebuild a happy and prosperous Taiwan, and a respected Republic of China.”
Wu accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of falling back on campaign promises, such as the promise to maintain the cross-strait “status quo.”
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) used the slogan “the KMT must fall for the good of the nation (國民黨不倒, 台灣不會好),” today the slogan should be applied to the DPP, he said.
Tsai has failed to help farmers sell their produce and failed to maintain power supply without raising prices, he said.
Tsai has also failed to maintain peaceful and stable cross-strait relations, and the semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits are no longer communicating with each other, he said.
“While Taiwan used to display a certain level of capability in its foreign relations, now we have lost many diplomatic allies,” Wu said.
“We hope to get the public’s support in November for a decisive win in the elections, so that we stand a chance to regain power in 2020,” he added.
Separately, Wu said that KMT officials across the board believed former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to be a person of ethics and personal integrity, and the party would collect evidence in support of Ma at its next Central Standing Committee.
Ma was on Tuesday indicted on charges of breach of trust and contravening securities regulations in connection with the sale of three media companies owned by the KMT.
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