Veterinarians yesterday rallied to support Taiwan Statebuilding Party Legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟), who is fighting to beat a recall vote against him and calling for people to join a march through his Taichung constituency.
At an event for inoculating pet dogs in the city’s Wurih District (烏日), the Taichung City Veterinary Medical Association and Taiwan Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) urged residents to vote against recalling Chen on Saturday next week.
Chen also announced a plan to march to gather support through Shalu (沙鹿), Longjing (龍井), Dadu (大肚), Wurih and Wufong (霧峰) districts.
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
“Over the next 10 days, we will march daily for 10 hours through these areas, for 100 hours total. We will start at 5am and march until 11pm,” Chen said.
In addition to locals, he invited people from around the nation to join him in walking at least one section of the march.
“We can stop at places of interest and view scenic sites, and stop for food at street markets, so people can get to know these districts up close,” he said.
Taiwan Statebuilding Party Organization Department head Lee Yu-chen (李雨蓁) called the recall “an unfair fight.”
“We are a very small political party, and do not have the large financial resources of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which is pulling out all the stops to unseat Chen,” Lee said.
She said the KMT has spent vast sums of money on the recall campaign, adding that the KMT has put up signs and handed out pamphlets throughout the city.
Nearly every household has received a KMT call in which false accusations have been made against Chen to sway voters, she added.
TVMA chairman David Tan (譚大倫) said he met with Chen early this year to discuss an amendment to the Veterinarian Act (獸醫師法) that the legislature was reviewing.
He said that the review process was often stalled, but that Chen was the first legislator to promise not to block it and help expedite the bill.
“Chen made good on his promise, and has demonstrated that he is an earnest legislator who lets his actions do the talking, compared with many opposition legislators who are showboats,” Tan said.
“People should evaluate a legislator based on their performance and results in their legislative term, and not bring up fraudulent claims regarding their past,” he said.
Wang Chin-shun (王金順), who operates a veterinary clinic in Wurih, told reporters that in the past, KMT legislators represented the district, but he did not hear much about what they did for residents.
“Only when Chen was elected last year did I become aware that a legislator can do so many things,” he said.
Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) on Saturday showed his support for Chen, accompanying him to several events in Taichung, while Weng Chieh (翁杰), spokesman for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), also endorsed Chen.
Weng said on Saturday that Chen has an outstanding record as a legislator and that the DPP would not ignore the KMT’s “revenge recall drive.”
“The public can see that the KMT with its vast resources is bullying this young man. We urge Taichung voters not to be deceived by the KMT’s usual treachery and deceit,” Weng said.
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