The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday accused President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration of dragging down the economy and critiqued Tsai’s claim that “foreign forces” are attempting to interfere with Taiwanese affairs via disinformation.
Posts on Tsai’s official Facebook page say that “foreign forces” are continually seeking to oppress the nation through disinformation and online bullying, KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) told a news conference in Taipei.
Such posts show that Tsai is unable to face the fact that her administration is ineffective at governance, as the influence disinformation had on Taiwanese politics and quality of life was not an issue when the KMT was in power, Hung said.
Photo: CNA
The main issues for the public over the past two years have been stalled foreign sales of produce, power outages and air pollution, all of which are unlikely to be caused by “foreign powers,” Hung said.
The conference was held to announce the release of two KMT commercials — a 30-second and a one-minute version — which are to be aired on TV and online before the nine-in-one elections on Saturday next week, Hung said.
The ads seek to present the paradox of the administration’s promises to better the nation compared with the current situation, as well as its controversial statements and actions since it was voted into power, Hung said.
The commercials conclude with a call to the public that it is time to correct the mistake they made with their last vote, Hung said.
Hung also critiqued the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) self-evaluation that “all is not lost as long as we keep Kaohsiung” as “pathetic” for a party that controls the executive and legislative branches.
Should the DPP continue on this path and view Kaohsiung as a pan-green city, the KMT would side with the people and demonstrate its resolve to flip the city, Hung said.
No KMT candidate has won the Kaohsiung mayoral election since 1998, when the party lost to DPP candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).
Despite the huge turnout to a rally for KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) on Wednesday, the party would be cautious going forward, Hung said.
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