Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and DPP candidate Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) are keeping a busy schedule this weekend as they gear up for the year-end mayoral election.
At 5:50am yesterday morning, Ma arrived at a Ta-an district neighborhood to deliver a speech congratulating a dance club on its fourth anniversary.
At 7am, the mayor arrived in Shihlin district's Pingteng borough to take part in the borough's annual cleaning event. Sporting a straw hat and the borough's uniform, Ma swept the floor and cut the grass while singing folk songs with the cleaning crew.
Ma dismissed criticism that his activities were merely a publicity stunt.
"People are entitled to their own interpretation of what a publicity stunt is," Ma said. "For me, taking part in what the local residents are doing is a way to learn."
As well as attending exhibitions at the National Palace Museum Library and the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, Ma made an appearance at a fundraising auction for local NGOs and delivered a speech at the Taipei American School to celebrate the US' Independence Day.
Ma also stopped by Ta-an Park for a fair sponsored by the Taipei Municipal Library.
Stating that reading plays an important role in a child's learning process, Ma encouraged parents to read with their kids.
Ma's competitor also picked up the literacy torch.
"It is important for children to absorb new knowledge through reading in a relaxed and comfortable setting." Lee said at the Owl Library.
Lee added that he will donate 20 children's books to the library's collection of roughly 6,000. The mayoral candidate said he hopes others will follow his example and boost the library's collection to 10,000 works in one month's time, "and thus enhance the practice of reading in society."
Lee also attended the opening ceremony for a local swimming competition and a charity auction of artwork for the Humanistic Education Foundation.
In addition, Lee took part in an award ceremony for a children's Taiwanese speaking competition.
Lee said this type of event shows respect for a native language, adding that the mother-tongues of other ethnic groups deserve respect.
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