Campaigning for next year’s presidential and legislative elections is heating up, with the nation’s biggest two political parties stepping up efforts to rally their support bases.
Looking toward a second term, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday told a campaign event in Taipei that she hopes to see a high turnout rate and votes for the party on Jan. 11.
“We want to show the world the will, values and choice of the Taiwanese public,” Tsai said, adding that every day until election day is critical and that “everyone should unite and protect Taiwan.”
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“I do not want to see the public divided because of the election,” she added, calling for people across the political spectrum — regardless of their support for Taiwanese independence, the Republic of China (Taiwan) or others — to set aside their differences.
“Our election should be a process of banding together and showing the world that Taiwan is not only resolved, but also united in defending its sovereignty and democracy,” Tsai said.
Comparing the process of national development to that of building a house, the president asked the crowd to not “change the blueprint in the middle of construction” and appealed for their support for another term in office.
Photo: Yang Chin-cheng, Taipei Times
Separately yesterday, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, embarked on a two-day trip to canvass votes in Tainan, a traditional stronghold of the DPP.
Han told the crowd at a campaign event that Taiwanese have had it rough over the past few years and they should change their fates through their ballots.
Han — who was also stumping for Lee Wu-lung (李武龍), the KMT legislative candidate for Tainan’s Madou District (麻豆) — said that should he and Lee be elected, they would serve the public and not be driven by a desire for power.
Farmers, fishers, workers and other ordinary people constitute the backbone of society, Han said, adding that if they “lead prosperous lives, then everyone in Taiwan would enjoy prosperity.”
Farmers and fishers are not reaping the benefits of their hard work, as their produce and fisheries products have no sales channels, or are being sold at a fraction of their actual worth, he said.
Taiwanese must realize that no political party should be above the public — it should be the other way around, Han said.
People’s support for political parties should not be fixed, but rather given to parties that do well, and those that fail should withdraw, he said.
“The people of Tainan should wake from their dreams,” Han said, adding that if they want a highly efficient government, the promise of economic development, effective educational policies and strong foreign affairs, they should vote for him.
Additional reporting by Yang Chin-cheng
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS