The morale of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members should receive a boost at a rally scheduled for Aug. 30, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said yesterday.
The rally, initiated by a number of pro-localization groups, aims to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policies.
The morale of pan-green supporters has been put to the test amid allegations of money-laundering by former president Chen Shiu-bian (陳水扁). Some DPP Kaohsiung City councilors said they had received calls from supporters asking them to cancel their registration for party membership.
Ker told reporters yesterday that the goal of the rally was to criticize Ma’s Beijing-leaning policies and his poor performance on the economy.
While some Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members have attempted to undermine the rally by portraying it as a pro-Chen event and called on the DPP to cancel it, Ker said the allegations against Chen and Ma’s poor performance were two separate issues.
The rally is scheduled to begin at 3pm on Aug. 30, with a grand finale in front of the Presidential Office.
The date of the protest was chosen to coincide with the Ma administration’s 100th day in office.
In addition to demanding a healthier economy and protection for Taiwan’s sovereignty, the organizers said the rally would also send the message that any future cross-strait initiative by the government should be put to a referendum.
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