KMT advocates for 'peace' at major Taipei campaign rally

Taipei, Dec. 23 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), his running mate Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) and several party heavyweights held a campaign rally on Taipei's Ketagalan Boulevard Saturday night, focusing on the issue of peace across the Taiwan Strait.

Despite the cold temperatures and constant drizzle, some 50,000 supporters gathered on the boulevard in front of the Presidential Office to hear the candidates and high-level party members speak about hot-button issues in the run-up to the Jan. 13, 2024 presidential and legislative elections, according to crowd estimates given by the KMT.

Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), former Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), and former KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) were among the heavyweights who attended the rally to support the 2024 candidates.

In Ma's address to the crowd, he tore into the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), saying its foreign affairs, cross-strait, and energy policies had all failed.

Since the DPP came to power in 2016, Taiwan's diplomatic allies have shrunk from 22 to 13, cross-strait relations have stalled, and there have been five incidents of major electricity blackouts in the country, Ma said.

Former Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who was the KMT presidential candidate in 2020, also took to the stage, leading a group of at-large legislative candidates and blasting the DPP for what he said was its "corruption" and its indifference to the people's suffering.

When Hou, Jaw, and KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) entered the venue, they walked through the crowds, waving to supporters as they made their way to the main stage.

In Jaw's address, he accused the DPP of engaging in "red-smearing" tactics -- accusing KMT candidates of being backed by China -- and said Taiwan was an inclusive island that had always welcomed outsiders.

Hou, in his campaign speech, lashed out at DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) for saying that the "Republic of China (ROC) is a myth," referring to Taiwan's official name. Lai's comment was a betrayal of his position as vice president of the ROC, Hou said.

All eight legislative candidates for Taipei and 12 for New Taipei were also at the rally, as well as the KMT's 14 city mayors and county commissioners and its 12 city and county council heads.

The speakers at the rally all stressed that the January election is a choice "between war and peace." They also called for the people to reject the concept of "Taiwan independence" and said that Taiwan's name will always remain the ROC.

According to KMT estimates, the crowd at the rally swelled to 80,000 before it ended.