KMT election eve rally calls for peace and a change of government
ROC Central News Agency
01/12/2024 11:16 PM
Taipei, Jan. 12 (CNA) The Kuomintang's (KMT) final election eve campaign rally on Friday night, held in Banqiao, focused on "winning back the Republic of China (ROC)" and peace.
The rally drew tens of thousands to Banqiao Stadium in New Taipei, with speakers calling for supporters to "concentrate votes" for the party to ensure a new government and oust the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), rather than splitting the anti-DPP vote between the KMT and the smaller Taiwan People's Party.
One of the main themes of the rally - beside railing against the DPP for rampant scams and hardships and attributing them to the party's corruption and incompetence - was "saying no to war."
In a campaign ad broadcast at the rally, KMT mayors and magistrates were shown saying that it has always been national leaders, not the people, who lead nations into war, and that "peace cannot be maintained by force, only by mutual understanding."
"I will strengthen national defense to deter war, be prepared for but not start a war," KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) said in the ad, with his running mate Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) stressing that their promise to the people of Taiwan is to steer the country away from war.
At the rally, Hou said DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) will lead the country into war.
"I can defend the ROC Constitution and Taiwan by being against 'Taiwan independence' and 'one country, two systems,'" he told supporters.
Hou's policies also included clean government and honesty, opposition to the abolition of the death-penalty and more severe punishments for "bad people," he said.
Jaw mentioned former President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) remarks in an interview with a German media outlet in which when asked if Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) was to be trusted, Ma replied: 'As far as cross-strait relations (are concerned), you have to.'"
Ma's response has since been lambasted by the DPP, Jaw said. "How come when Xi met U.S. President Joe Biden and said he has not heard of the reports of military action against Taiwan in 2027 or 2035, [President] Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Lai were quick to believe him?"
"What if Xi takes military action in 2028 or 2036?" Jaw said. "[Tsai and Lai] believe in Xi more than Ma does."
Former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also told supporters that over the past eight years Taiwanese people "have become fed up with cross-strait conflict and Taiwan has not been able to be its own master because it is controlled by international superpowers."
(By Alison Hsiao)
Enditem/AW
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