‘TEACH MA A LESSON’:The party is hoping that it will capitalize on voter anger over fuel and electricity price hikes, which it called an ‘ambush’ after Ma’s election
By Chris Wang / Staff reporter
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is devoting a lot of energy to winning the township chief by-election in Lugang Township (鹿港), Changhua County, on Saturday, with its latest effort coming from lawmakers who said yesterday they would propose designating the town a national scenic area.
DPP legislators Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷), Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃), as well as Huang Chen-yen (黃振彥), the party’s candidate in the by-election, told a press conference that the town, with its rich history, should be designated a national scenic area.
Lugang was the busiest port in central Taiwan in the 18th century and one of the three largest port cities in Taiwan, along with Tamsui and Tainan.
The proposal appeared to complement the DPP’s campaign for the weekend election, the first election after the DPP’s loss in the January presidential election and since the recent controversy on fuel and electricity price increases.
The position of township chief was vacated after former Lugang township chief Wang Huei-mei (王惠美) was elected legislator in January.
Heavyweights from both parties, including former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), former premiers Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and Yu Shyi-kun (游錫?) of the DPP, and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and vice presidential-elect Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), have been campaigning hard in Lugang for the past two weeks.
The DPP has called the election, which pits Huang, an incumbent county councilor, against KMT candidate Tsai Ming-chung (蔡明忠), an opportunity for voters to voice their discontent over price hikes, which they described as an “ambush” on the people after the presidential election and a policy that could trigger general price increases and make people suffer.
The three former premiers said that the KMT’s loss in the election could “teach Ma a lesson” for his failed policies.