Sat, Aug 16, 2014 page3

• FEATURE: Taipei City councilor candidates trot out giveaways

  • By Lin Shu-hui, Lu Heng-ching and Jason Pan / Staff reporters, with staff writer
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  With Nov. 29’s nine-in-one elections less than four months away, most campaign offices have come out with promotional giveaways with their candidate’s name, photograph and slogan.

  In a recent survey of candidates in the Taipei City councilor race, most promotional items are household items, such as fruit peelers, dishwashing sponges, kitchen sink strainers and hand-held fans.

  The most popular item seems to be a flier from the campaign office of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) that can be played as a game called Life at The Palace Mansion (帝產人生). It resembles Monopoly and satirizes the wealthy background of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文).

  

  Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien targets Chinese Nationalist Party Taipei (KMT) mayoral candidate Sean Lien with a game.

  Photo: Lin Shu-hui, Taipei Times

  The title reminds voters where Lien lives — an exclusive luxury residential complex called The Palace (帝寶) on Renai Road (仁愛路) in Taipei, Wang said.

  The center of the game sheet is a caricature depicting Lien as a medieval European king wearing a jewel-studded crown, with gold bars beneath his throne, wads of cash next to him and rows of real estate in the background.

  Players roll dice to land on squares depicting companies and Taipei-area properties with astronomical price values that are owned by or associated with Lien’s family. These include The Palace, his father’s Yung Sheng Building (永勝大樓), his in-laws’ Red Bean Dining restaurants and the EasyCard Corp, where Lien served as chairman.

  

  Hand-held fans, napkins, scouring pads, fruit peelers and other campaign items from Taipei City councilor candidates are pictured on Aug. 3.

  Photo: Lu Heng-chien, Taipei Times

  Wang said that this campaign item has been much in demand by the public since its launch.

  “People have no time to read long campaign articles these days. I am just using cartoon-style pictures to poke fun at Sean Lien in an amusing way,” Wang said.

  It is not expensive to produce, with only the printing cost and charge for paper, so it is an effective campaign promotion without spending big money, an official at the councilor’s office added.

  Meanwhile, KMT Taipei City Councilor Wang Cheng-te’s (王正德) freebie gift is a hand-held fan that can be converted into a pouch for bills and coins. He said it is portable and convenient to use, so more people know that he is running in the election.

  KMT Taipei City Councilor Yeh Lin-chuan (葉林傳) has assorted items to hand out to voters, including packets of tissue and hand-held fans, along with kitchen sink strainers and sponge scrubbers, which he said are popular with women.

  Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Taipei City Councilor Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘) is giving away a reusable tumbler with his picture and the slogan “Vote for me!” Each cup costs NT$4 to make and 6,000 more are coming, after the initial order for 20,000 has nearly been exhausted, he said.

  KMT Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) is publicizing his re-election effort with small bottles of mineral water decorated with his name and picture.

  New Party Taipei City Councilor Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯) is giving away fruit peelers, sponge scrubbers and other household items. He said each fruit peeler costs NT$8, which is a bit more than other handout items, but it is a hit with constituents and achieves his promotional goals.

  Chien Sheng-che (簡聖哲), a TSU Taipei city councilor candidate, has packets of tissue to hand out that which are thicker than others. He said constituents appreciate his generosity, as tissues are useful in many functions and his packets last longer than others.

  In the summer heat, several candidates have also started handing out wet tissues, which they say help people cool down. The packets are much in demand by passing motorists and locals shopping at wet markets, they said.
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