The KMT's presidential campaign reached its climax last night as the party tried to arouse patriotic sentiment in an all-out effort to boost its candidate Lien Chan (
Under severe pressure on the final day of the campaign, the KMT held five campaign rallies in succession throughout Taiwan -- in Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Hsinchu and Taipei -- using the theme "Prosperity and Stability, Taiwan's Victory" (繁榮安定，台灣勝利).
The party's aim had been to draw out 1,200,000 supporters to the events.
The call repeatedly made to all at the rallies was "Dump Soong, Save Lien," echoing President Lee Teng-hui (
At Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (
"I solemnly support the Lien-Siew ticket! We're on the way to victory! Let's celebrate our success in advance!" shouted President Lee Teng-hui, adding that voters should think clearly and vote wisely today.
"Dump Soong, because he is not reliable!" Lee yelled in Mandarin, who then repeated the phrase in Taiwanese.
People soon responded: "Dump Soong! Save Lien!"
"Give up A-bian, because he lacks experience!" Lee shouted, adding Taiwan under Chen would be threatened by China.
It was believed that the KMT's strategy last night was targeted at mainlanders, many of whom support Soong, by appealing to Chinese nationalist sentiment.
Celebrities sang patriotic songs from yesteryear, such as "The National Flag Song (國旗歌)," "Descendants of the Dragon (龍的傳人)" and even "Praising the Republic of China (中華民國頌)," the former being a piece composed after the US broke off relations with Taiwan in 1979.
Influential KMT officials, such as senior advisor to the president, Sun Yun-hsuan (孫運璿), spoke to the crowd to urge them and their friends to vote for Lien because he was the "best choice" among the five candidates to deal with the cross-strait issue and foreign relations.
Earlier yesterday, Lien attended a rally with his wife in Tainan -- his family's ancestral home -- where he appealed to his roots.
"Ten generations of my family have lived in Tainan for three hundred years. Support Lien from Tainan, my dear people!" Lien said.
Enthusiastic supporters re-sponded with repeated shouts of "President Lien!"
Lien said: "After I am elected, I will make efforts to promote Taiwan by convening a third National Affairs Reform Conference (
"I'm the best choice to ensure Taiwan's safety, security, and future reforms," Lien shouted.
The party, meanwhile, continued with a nationwide media blitz, with the five campaign rallies broadcast live on nine cable TV channels, as well as the three terrestrial networks controlled by the party.
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