The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday unveiled the theme and motif of its 20th National Congress, as well as campaign merchandise.
New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋) was chosen as it is easily accessible for the 2,000 party representatives who will attend the congress on Sunday, and it also serves to demonstrate the party’s resolve to win New Taipei City and Taipei in the Nov. 24 elections, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The congress theme is “boost the economy and care about people’s livelihoods,” while “baseball was picked as the motif since it is the nation’s most popular sport,” he said.
Photo: CNA
The theme will be displayed on top of the party’s slogan — “reform, unity, reclaim administrative right” — on a backdrop at the congress, he said.
The party’s 22 mayoral and commissioner candidates will be dressed as baseball players with KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as the “head coach,” Hung said.
Each “player” is to high-five Wu before picking up a bat, taking a batting stance and declaring that they are going to hit a home run, Hung said.
Wu will then swear to lead to party to victory, which by the KMT’s definition is to win at least half of the nation’s 22 administrative regions, before the candidates join Wu in pitching a supersized baseball, symbolizing the party making a deciding pitch to close out the “game,” Hung said.
The campaign merchandise includes pillows, basketballs, baseballs with the KMT logo on them.
Basketballs were chosen as a play on the homophones of the Mandarin phrases to “make a basket” and to “vote blue,” while the pillow is meant to symbolize “embracing the KMT,” Hung said.
The merchandise was designed for sale to those attending congress, but more could be manufactured for sale to the public if they prove popular, he said.
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