Star of the show: Lai (centre) reacts on the stage during an election campaign rally at the New Taipei City Xinzhuang Civil Sports Center. — AFP
Politicians here were training their firepower on “land battles”, or in-person campaigning, on the last weekend ahead of the Jan 13 legislative and presidential elections.
At the weekend, politicians of the major parties fanned out across the island to canvass for votes, in a shift from the online campaigns – called “air battles” – they had been waging to woo the young electorate.
On Jan 6, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition Kuomintang (KMT) rolled out their big guns at rallies in Taoyuan City and New Taipei City.
At a rally in the latter, DPP heavyweights – Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai and former premier Su Tseng-chang – energised the crowd before DPP vice-presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te made their appearances to loud cheers.
Supporters waving green and pink flags, some of whom were transported by bus to the rally held at a park in Xinzhuang district, New Taipei City, greeted Lai with “Zong tong hao”, meaning “Hello, President”.
Singers earlier warmed up the 30,000-strong crowd with evergreen songs like Passionate Desert, while vendors hawked items such as green baseball-style jackets like those worn by the DPP leaders, and stickers and keychains bearing the caricatures of Lai and Hsiao.
Lai and Hsiao are considered the favourites to win the presidential election, having led their KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rivals in most opinion polls before a blackout on the publication of such survey results kicked in on Jan 3.
Centre of attraction: Hou being greeted by supporters in Kaohsiung. — AFP
In Taoyuan city, northwestern Taiwan, presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih of the KMT and running mate Jaw Shaw-kong were joined by Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu and KMT chairman Eric Chu at a rally attended by some 100,000 people.
But one big name in the KMT-led pan-Blue camp was notably missing: businessman Terry Gou, the Foxconn chairman, who initially wanted to run for president but decided against it on Nomination Day.
The KMT camp has kept open an invitation for Gou to unite behind its candidates to focus on unseating the DPP government.
At an earlier indoor rally in New Taipei City on Jan 6, about a dozen supporters clad in blue and red – colours associated with the KMT – literally drummed up support for the KMT candidates by striking Chinese-style drums.
Even the smaller TPP, founded in 2019 by presidential candidate Ko Wen-je and which campaigns mainly online as it lacks the resources of the bigger parties, held a rally in Taichung city on Jan 6.
There was a security scare at the event, however, when a 32-year-old man was arrested for bringing an air pistol. But that did not affect the TPP rally, which went on as planned and drew some 50,000 people.
Motorcades were also part of the mix.
A supporter holds Taiwan’s national flag and the TPP campaign flag during a rally in Taichung. — AFP
Dr Ko and Hou travelled around the island in separate motorcades, waving to supporters who lined the streets.
On Jan 6 morning in New Taipei City’s Banqiao district, some supporters rushed forward to give Hou large bunches of garlic sprouts to wish him luck in the race. The sprouts symbolise the phrase “dong suan” heard at all campaign rallies, which is “frozen garlic” in Mandarin but sounds like “to be elected” in the Minnan dialect.
Chang Si-ling, 52, waited for about 30 minutes outside a convenience store at a busy street corner before Hou’s team drove by.
“I wanted to come out and show my support for him because I think it’s time for a change in government. I am scared about the possibility of war,” said the housewife, who has a 24-year-old son.
Lai, too, tried to squeeze in as many places as he could, travelling to places like Chiayi, Taichung and Taoyuan cities.
On Sunday, all three presidential candidates made appearances in Kaohsiung in south Taiwan. — The Straits Times/ANN
