The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) latest piggy bank campaign has proven successful, perhaps just not exactly the way it planned.
The party has been giving out small piggy banks to its supporters, encouraging them to fill the banks and return them to the party as a form of small-scale fundraising.
However, DPP lawmakers’ offices said that party headquarters could not keep up with supporters’ demand for the banks, as many were being kept as souvenirs, so the party has had to produce a “souvenir version” that supporters can keep after turning in the original ones.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
The “souvenir version” piggy banks, which were released yesterday, have DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) signature on them, DPP spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) told a news conference in Taipei.
The DPP first used piggy banks as a fundraising strategy in 2011 as part of Tsai’s campaign for the 2012 presidential election, after three children had donated the contents of their piggy banks to her campaign.
Tsai last month told a visiting US congressional delegation that a total of 140,000 piggy banks were received, accounting for 87 percent of the funds she raised for that presidential run.
Cheng yesterday announced a series of events for this weekend to celebrate the party’s 28th anniversary, which falls on Sept. 28.
However, this year, Sept. 28 is also the final day of a three-day long weekend for the Mid-Autum Festival, which falls on Sept. 27, so the party has moved its celebrations ahead by one week.
“We will be holding our national congress at the public library in Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District (平鎮) on Saturday morning and will host an evening gala at Jhongjheng Park [中正公園] in the city’s Jhongli District [中壢],” Cheng said.
“A market featuring handmade and creative merchandise, as well as organic products grown in Taoyuan, will gather in the afternoon,” Cheng said.
The evening gala would feature a performance by the Paper Windmill Theatre (紙風車劇團) as well as several bands, Cheng said.
Asked if Tsai would announce her running mate before the national congress — as she did for the 2012 presidential election — Cheng said the DPP would respect Tsai’s arrangements, and therefore a vice presidential candidate would “not necessarily” be decided by then.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS