The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidates traversed the nation yesterday in last-minute attempts to boost support ahead of today's presidential election.
In emotional pleas to supporters ahead of today's poll, the DPP's Frank Hsieh (
Speaking at his campaign headquarters in Taipei earlier yesterday, Hsieh asked voters to exercise caution when they cast their ballots, saying Taiwan's future relied on an awakening of its people.
"[Today's] election is not just an election but an important decision of the people," he said. "Your vote is not to add flowers to embroidery but to offer fuel in snowy weather."
Leading his campaign team in a bow to the public, Hsieh said if elected, he would rectify the shortcomings of the current DPP administration.
"I will do better and I will not let you down," he said.
Hsieh promised, if elected, to restore political stability in a speedy manner and end political infighting. He also pledged to mend the fractures caused during the election process, implement his economic policy to increase individual incomes, lower unemployment, create a safe environment for children and women and establish social justice.
"We are humble before the people," he said. "We are asking you to cast the sacred ballot in your hand for the hope of Taiwan and its future."
In related news, Hsieh yesterday thanked former Academia Sinica president and Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) for his support and promised to be more humble towards the opposition and the people.
"With its three-quarters majority, the KMT can easily drive me out of office," he said. "I will follow the Constitution and cannot afford to make a mistake."
He promised, if elected, to implement "reconciliation and co-existence," which he said has been his political belief since he entered politics.
"There is no one who I cannot cooperate or reconcile with," Hsieh said. "I do it for the sake of the people."
To avoid political confrontation, Hsieh said he would respect the majority party in the legislature and negotiate with the KMT on the appointment of the premier.
While he would set the policy for cross-strait relations, foreign affairs and national defense, Hsieh said he would let the premier take care of the rest.
While he is in favor of opening up further to China, he said a Taiwan-centered consciousness and national interests must be upheld.
He also pledged to make an all-out effort to ease political tensions, saying with the end of the election, the battle between those who support President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and those who support his KMT rival Ma would come to an end.
Saying he was impressed by Hsieh's "reconciliation and co-existence" concept, Lee said that he was steadfast in his support for Hsieh this time, unlike his last-minute endorsement of Chen in the 2000 presidential election.
Lee said he would like to see Hsieh bring change to the country, meet the people's expectations and establish a government that is free of corruption.
In related news, former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) yesterday endorsed the DPP ticket, saying it would only be conducive to the country's democratic development if there were two political forces checking each other's power.
He said although he was disappointed at the performance of the DPP administration over the past eight years, the KMT was even worse.
Beijing's bloody crackdown on Tibet should serve as a sharp warning for the China-friendly KMT, he said, adding that they might want to reconsider their "one China market."
Lin's daughter, Lin Huan-chin (
She also criticized the KMT for lying about its support for the referendum seeking UN membership. She urged the public to learn a lesson from China's crackdown in Tibet and decide whether they want to vote for a party that will protect the country or one that will lean toward a giant neighbor that constantly threatens the nation.
Ma yesterday condemned the DPP for causing eight years of misery and pledged to be a "public president" and put an end to long-term conflicts between political parties if elected today.
"The DPP caused the harm, and it is not the victim. The miserable situation in Taiwan today is caused by the DPP, and the party has no right to ask for the people's sympathy," Ma said yesterday while canvassing support in Taipei County.
On the final day before the election, Ma called on the public to change the future of Taiwan by casting their ballots.
"I urge everyone to cast their ballots because their votes will change the future of Taiwan," Ma told a press conference at his Taipei campaign office.
"What we want to see is a wealthy Taiwan, not a poor country. We want a Taiwan that opens its door to the world, not a country that locks itself away ... And we want to see light, not dark," he said.
When asked about the DPP's accusations of KMT vote-buying, Ma said that the party and his camp did not buy votes.
Ma spent the final day of the campaign in Taipei County during the day, before heading to Taichung and Kaohsiung for election eve parties.
He canceled campaign events planned for the afternoon claiming to be preparing campaign speeches yesterday evening, but later resumed activities in Sanchung (三重) and shrugged off rumors that the events were canceled because of safety concerns.
Ma later joined running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) at Kaohsiung Dream Mall plaza at the election eve party, promising to upgrade Kaohsiung's port by implementing cross-strait direct links if elected.
Ma also promised to continue the construction of MRT and railway systems in Kaohsiung, while vowing to revive the area's economy by attracting more high-tech companies.
Seeking to solicit support in one of the pan-green camp's strongholds, Ma once again assured supporters that he would not allow Chinese laborers and agricultural products into Taiwan.
"I, Ma Ying-jeou will not sell Taiwan out. I will make Taiwan's interest the priority," he said.
About 100,000 pan-blue supporters from Kaohsiung, Chiayi and Tainan gathered at the plaza last night, waving campaign flags and cheering for Ma.
He then rushed to Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium to join his wife Chow Mei-ching (
In Taipei, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) led hundreds of pan-blue supporters gathered at Ketagalan Boulevard.
KMT officials joined each other via live broadcasts and arranged candles in the shape of Taiwan to represent the KMT's determination to bring Taiwan a better future.
Earlier yesterday Wu accused the DPP of adopting dirty tricks at the last minute before the election, pledging to stay at KMT headquarters all day to monitor the situation.
Ma's two daughters, Lesley Ma (馬唯中) and Kelly Ma (馬元中), are arriving from the US this morning to cast their vote.
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘VERY SHALLOW’: The center of Saturday’s quake in Tainan’s Dongshan District hit at a depth of 7.7km, while yesterday’s in Nansai was at a depth of 8.1km, the CWA said Two magnitude 5.7 earthquakes that struck on Saturday night and yesterday morning were aftershocks triggered by a magnitude 6.4 quake on Tuesday last week, a seismologist said, adding that the epicenters of the aftershocks are moving westward. Saturday and yesterday’s earthquakes occurred as people were preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday this week. As of 10am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded 110 aftershocks from last week’s main earthquake, including six magnitude 5 to 6 quakes and 32 magnitude 4 to 5 tremors. Seventy-one of the earthquakes were smaller than magnitude 4. Thirty-one of the aftershocks were felt nationwide, while 79
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Taiwan must capitalize on the shock waves DeepSeek has sent through US markets to show it is a tech partner of Washington, a researcher said China’s reported breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) would prompt the US to seek a stronger alliance with Taiwan and Japan to secure its technological superiority, a Taiwanese researcher said yesterday. The launch of low-cost AI model DeepSeek (深度求索) on Monday sent US tech stocks tumbling, with chipmaker Nvidia Corp losing 16 percent of its value and the NASDAQ falling 612.46 points, or 3.07 percent, to close at 19,341.84 points. On the same day, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Sector index dropped 488.7 points, or 9.15 percent, to close at 4,853.24 points. The launch of the Chinese chatbot proves that a competitor can
RSS