Taipei’s two leading mayoral candidates yesterday urged the public to come out and vote despite forecasts of low temperatures on Election Day this Saturday.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who is running for re-election, said he expected cold weather would keep people at home, especially pan-blue supporters.
“I urge our supporters to come out and vote no matter what,” he said. “Your ballots will decide the political atmosphere in the future as well as Taipei City’s direction, cross-strait developments and the nation’s status.”
At a separate setting, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) also said that weather could play a role in Saturday’s turnout, and added that he hoped voters would have the passion to take action and vote.
Su, who has launched a drive to solicit 1,000 volunteers to each make 10 telephone calls to solicit votes, said that many might think Taipei has more pan-blue supporters than pan-green. However, he said as he was looking at the eyes of the people he shook hands with when he was canvassing for votes, he realized that people did not want to be categorized into any political camp or be bargaining chips for any political party.
“They want to be their own master,” Su said while visiting a market in Zhongshan District yesterday morning. “If they all come out and vote, they can help narrow the gap between the candidates and give us a chance to serve them. So, every ballot counts and the ballot in your hand spells your future for the next four years.”
Su said Taipei residents should use their ballots to tell the government whether they are satisfied with its performance over the past four years.
After talking to so many people and visiting so many areas, Su said he discovered that the city had not improved over the past four years and that residents had many complaints.
“I don’t have any burdens and I am good at solving problems, so why don’t you turn your anger into power and give me a chance to help you solve your problems?” Su asked.
Meanwhile, Hau’s spokespeople accused Su of not taking action when Taiwanese athletes were treated unfairly at international competitions when he was premier.
They were responding to accusations that the KMT government had failed to act in the controversial disqualification of taekwondo athlete Yang Shu-chun (楊淑君) at the Asian Games last week.
KMT Legislator Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) said the DPP did not care about the rights and interests of athletes or make any effort to protect Taiwan’s dignity when it was in power.
KMT Legislator Alex Fai (費鴻泰) urged the DPP to propose better alternatives if it thought the administration had handled the matter badly.
KMT Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said the DPP was a jealous opposition that criticizes anything it sees the KMT do right, adding that when the DPP sees the KMT make a mistake, it adds more blows to bring it down.
“Is dooming Taiwan and this country really what the DPP wants?” she asked.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS