Seeking to boost support for Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) ahead of the Nov. 27 special municipality elections, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting at Shezi Island (社子島) in Taipei City yesterday.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also serves as the KMT chairman, led party officials in chanting “Victory for Hau Lung-bin!”
The group also posed for photographs in red T-shirts promoting the Taipei International Flora Expo as a way of emphasizing Hau’s performance.
“Hau may not be a good speaker, but he is capable of implementing policies. I am glad that I handed over my work to such a capable and honest man ... The party and all party members should have faith in him,” said Ma, who was Hau’s predecessor as mayor.
Ma said that he began development in Shezidao — a low-laying area that often floods during typhoons — when he was elected mayor 12 years ago and Hau has continued to improve conditions in the poor neighborhood.
In January, Hau pledged to turn the 240-hectare area into “Taipei’s Manhattan” within 11 years, in a bid to to attract support from the traditional pan-green stronghold.
In response to Ma’s compliments on various projects, such as the Maokong Gondola and the Luzhou MRT Line, Hau promised to work even harder if re-elected to improve the city
He also used the meeting to promote the Taipei International Flora Exposition, which he said would raise the city’s international profile.
“About 90 percent of the flowers in the expo are from Taiwan. We believe the event will make Taiwan shine on the international stage,” he said.
The KMT is enhancing its campaign efforts in Taipei City as Hau faces a tough battle against DPP candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Ma also accompanied Hau to the launch of the Luzhou (Lujhou) MRT Line yesterday morning, and will visit flora expo sites tomorrow.
Meanwhile, KMT spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) declined to say if the party woud sell the Central Investment Holding Co in January to Franklin Templeton Investments for NT$26 billion (US$800 million).
He said the KMT had promised to rid itself of all assets and not to run any businesses in the future.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine reported that the KMT will use the money from the sale of the holding company to fund its 2012 presidential campaign.
“It is the KMT’s obligation to carry out our promise and the DPP can always find a reason to criticize us regardless of when we sell the asset,” he said.
The Central Investment Co is the KMT’s sole remaining asset, after it sold the Broadcasting Corp of China, the Central Motion Picture Co and China Television Co to the China Times Group subsidiary Jungli Investment Co (榮麗投資公司) in 2005 for NT$9.3 billion.
Ma has promised to sell the company as soon as possible and put the money toward charities after paying pensions and salaries to party workers.
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