The four Taichung workers who on Friday dressed up as “Chilean miners” along with Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday showed their true colors by proclaiming Hu’s campaign opponent, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), as the man they actually support.
One of the four said he was a member of Taichung’s woodworking association. The man, surnamed Liao (廖), said he was paid NT$600 to dress up as a “Chilean miner,” adding that he did not know in advance that the dress-up was part of gimmick aimed to drum up support for Hu.
Liao was referring to Hu, who along with a few others dressed up as “Chilean miners” for Friday’s election number drawing.
Hu at the time said his “Chilean miner” look, a reference to the miners in Chile who were rescued earlier this month after being trapped underground for 69 days, symbolized his commitment to bringing residents of what will be Greater Taichung out of difficulties and toward a brighter future.
Upon learning of the four men’s remarks, Hu responded by saying that he respected their personal choices as Taiwan is a democracy.
People who took part in the dress-up, however, should have known why they were dressing up, he said.
“If I really lived with them for 69 days underground, we would have united,” Hu added.
A spokesman for Hu’s campaign team, Jen Chieh (任杰), said the people who dressed up as miners were recruited through labor associations and their roles were like extras on a film set.
Hu’s campaign team did not probe their political party preferences, Jen added.
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