A crowd yesterday gathered at a square next to the Dream Mall in Kaohsiung to show their support for Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, on the eve of today’s presidential and legislative elections.
The crowd, estimated by the KMT at between 300,000 and 350,000, was in festive mood, with many dressed in Republic of China (ROC) attire and waving ROC national flags.
KMT Legislator Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) sent the crowd into a frenzy when she appeared in golden armor — which she said belonged to the fictional character Wonder Woman — just as she did on the eve of the Kaohsiung mayoral election in November 2018.
Photo: CNA
At 9:04pm, Han and his wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), took the stage amid chants of Dongsuan, a Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) expression meaning “get elected.”
Since he was elected Kaohsiung mayor in 2018, the city has grabbed the attention of the whole of Asia, Han said, adding that never had the municipality enjoyed so much attention.
An owner of a clay oven roll and soy bean milk shop in Los Angeles has donated NT$800,000 (US$26,650) to the Kaohsiung City Government’s Chinese-English bilingual education policy, Han said, adding that the donor is originally from Taipei and has had a hard time in the US after not learning English at a younger age.
Photo: CNA
A Singaporean couple had agreed to finance the education of all the children at a kindergarten in Kaohsiung’s Daliao District (大寮) after learning that Han had a “sleepover” at the kindergarten, he said.
Last month alone, the city had millions of visitors, which was remarkable, he added.
Residents in central and southern Taiwan have over the past three decades defended the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has veered away from its early ideals and become corrupt, Han said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is seeking re-election, is surrounded by corrupt bureaucrats, who have robbed her of her powers, he said.
The DPP has funded an Internet army to attack its enemies, but they went too far, leading to the suicide of Su Chii-cherng (蘇啟誠), former director-general of the Osaka branch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Japan, Han said.
Tsai’s administration has spent billions on its New Southbound Policy, which has had little success, he said.
The DPP suffered a rout in the local elections in 2018, but wants to continue to rule the nation, so it started vilifying me in the absence of good things to say about Tsai, Han said.
The DPP has bribed 90 percent of the media, which dare not criticize Tsai or her policies, and have resorted to biased reporting praising the government, he said.
Han urged his supporters to use their ballots to “change Taiwan’s destiny and restore the ROC’s pride.”
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