The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to focus its campaign efforts this week on issues specific to each locality rather than following a centralized election strategy, the DPP said yesterday.
In Kaohsiung the party would address concerns about fake news, in Taichung it would talk about its achievements in the city and infrastructure plans, and in Taipei it would talk about national sovereignty, DPP Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said.
Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) have proven political track records that are recognized nationwide, and their campaigns would focus on this, Hsu said.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
Lin’s administration was responsible for the cleanup of Taichung’s once-polluted Green River (綠川) and Willow River (柳川), the extension of the city’s MRT rail system to Changhua City, and has made great strides with green energy and the city’s World Flora Exposition, Hsu said.
In New Taipei City, allegations of tax evasion brought against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayoral candidate Hou You-yi’s (侯友宜) wife have been a boon for DPP mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) campaign, and in Taipei, DPP mayoral candidate Pasuya Yao (姚文智) has been rallying supporters to protect Taiwan’s democracy and sovereignty from Chinese influence, Hsu said.
“If we can hold on to Kaohsiung then the DPP will not have lost, and if we can take New Taipei City, then we have won,” DPP Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) said on Tuesday last week.
The DPP plans to double the number of staff for canvassing and campaign events this week, with the additional personnel coming from party staff and grassroots supporters, a source within the party said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), in her capacity as party chairperson, was yesterday supporting local campaigns in Penghu and Nantou counties, and would visit Taitung County tomorrow, the source said.
On Wednesday evening Tsai would visit Yilan County, and on Thursday evening she would be in Changhua County, the source said, adding that the party has not yet decided on Tsai’s itinerary for Friday, which is the eve of the election.
The party is confident about its campaign in Kaohsiung, and feels that New Taipei City and Taitung are already won, the source said, adding that the situation in Yilan remains unclear.
A fake news report accusing DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) of wearing an earpiece during a televised debate on Nov. 10 actually helped his campaign, as it drew attention to the “emptiness” of KMT mayoral candidate Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) platform, the source said, citing Han’s repeated call for supporters to “have the courage to dream.”
Chen has already attracted investment to Kaohsiung, as electronic component manufacturing company Yageo Corp plans to build a factory in the city, the source said.
The support for civic group We Care’s march on Saturday, calling on Kaohsiung residents to stand up against fake news and to support democracy, has also given the DPP confidence that the city is likely to remain a DPP stronghold, the source added.
Han’s singing of a military song with lyrics urging the “thrusting [of a sword] into the hearts of the enemy” during a campaign event also displeased many Kaohsiung residents, who subsequently joined the We Care march, the source said.
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