Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) yesterday urged overseas Taiwanese to show their support in the upcoming election, which he called “a showdown between democracy and totalitarianism,” at the final stop on his North American trip in Toronto.
Lin, representing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), drew the support of young Taiwanese in Toronto who had not previously participated in political events, establishing a connection between generations, while a group of young Hong Kongers also attended the rally, the DPP said in a statement.
Lin, a leading figure in the 2014 Sunflower movement, said: “The courage displayed by Hong Kong people in their struggle for democracy is in sharp contrast to the repugnant ways of China’s totalitarian regime.”
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
He thanked Hong Kongers for joining Taiwanese to support each other.
“We hope that today’s Taiwan will be tomorrow’s Hong Kong,” he said.
“This is not our last election, but it is the most crucial election. It is a showdown between democracy and totalitarianism,” Lin added.
He also called on overseas Taiwanese to support the party, Tsai, DPP chairman Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and former premier William Lai (賴清德) to help in unifying Taiwan.
“We are facing certain opposition forces working to agitate, and we must not allow China to take delight in sowing the seeds of discord,” Lin said. “All Taiwanese must unite for Taiwan to win this election.”
Lin listed the major accomplishments of Tsai’s government, while emphasizing that “all enacted reforms and measures for transitional justice are strengthening Taiwan to prevent our society from retreading the old road taken by Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT], which was mainly to rely on China.”
“We must not go back on the reforms already under way, which we need to win a majority of seats in the legislature, but we are facing very severe challenges,” he said. “China has been developing strategies to interfere in our election, and they are duplicating methods of meddling from last year’s local elections.”
“In Taiwan, we also have politicians who are proclaiming that ‘blues and greens are no different, they are just as bad,’ which is the way deceitful politicians dupe the voters,” Lin said, referring to the so-called “colorless awakening” movement driven by some figures in the pan-blue camp and the Taiwan People’s Party led by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
“Changes cannot be made through empty talk, and politics should not be approached through elimination,” Lin said. “To effect changes in politics means not bringing back those who have been ousted by other parties.”
Lin encouraged eligible Taiwanese voters to return to cast their ballots for Tsai and vote for DPP legislative candidates on Jan. 11.
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