Taiwan Election: January 9
Day 3: Tsai Ing-wen Comments on Mainland China's Satellite Launch and Stresses the Importance of a Majority Victory in Congress for the DPP - Reports by Student Journalists of The Young Reporter
President Tsai Ing-wen Endorses the Candidates for Legislative Yuan in Today's Campaign Canvas
By Siena Cheng, Tom Shuai, Nicole Chu
Kaohsiung, Jan 9 (TYR) - The Lion Choan Temple in the Gushan District of Kaohsiung welcomed its first presidential visitor today, as President Tsai Ing-wen came to worship and delivered a speech endorsing 30-year-old Kaohsiung City Councillor Huang Jie.
During Tsai's speech, she urged supporters to consolidate their votes for Huang, who joined the party just six months ago and is now the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate for the Legislative Yuan member in the 6th electoral district.
Tsai highlighted the necessity of controlling a majority in the Legislative Yuan: "Taiwan's infrastructure is currently insufficient. The Legislative Yuan holds a pivotal role, and we need a majority of the seats to better serve the public and invest more in enhancing our infrastructure."
Before Tsai visited the Lion Choan Temple, an alert in Chinese stated, "A satellite, launched by China at 3:04 p.m., has been tracked flying over the southern region."
Undeterred by the satellite flyover, Tsai stated in her speech, "I want you to vote for the DPP, no matter what is crossing the sky."
Huang Yuanyuan, 70, the Chairman of the Lion Choan Temple, expressed optimism about the temple's future, saying, "The temple's incense and popularity will surely improve. Everyone is welcome here, regardless of their political affiliation."
Local resident Wei Huilan, 78, who has lived in the neighborhood for over 60 years, shared her pride: "It's an honor for a small temple like ours to be visited by the president."
Kaohsiung has always been a stronghold for the DPP, the Green Camp, with all eight legislative seats held by the Democratic Progressive Party. Two newcomers are now running for election, while the rest seek re-election.
Tsai Ing-wen has traveled to support and campaign for these candidates. She stated that her repeated presence was not due to a lack of confidence in the two individuals but somewhat out of concern for achieving a less-than-satisfactory victory. She also emphasized the importance of securing a majority in the legislature, as it controls the budget. Using herself as an example, she stressed that policy can be effectively implemented only when more than half of the legislative seats are held.
Tsai Ing-wen’s response to the satellite flyover and the importance of winning a majority congress:
As Election Day Approaches, Tsai Ing-wen Visits Polling Station to Engage with the Elderly
By BO Chuxuan, YANG Haicen, YANG Shuyi
Kaohsiung, Jan 9 (TYR) - Greeting the crowd with enthusiastic waves, Taiwan's President, Tsai Ing-wen, visited the Anyi Village Activity Centre in the Sanmin District of Kaohsiung this afternoon to spend time with the local elderly community.
Jhou Huang Jyunyu, the mayor of Anyi Village, who has been in office for five years, reported that forty seniors participated in the event. They played the ring toss game with President Tsai, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.
Some seniors, unable to access the crowded center, waited outside, eager for President Tsai's departure. They shouted, "Hello, President Tsai," she responded with appreciative waves.
Wu, the wife of Mayor Jhou, remarked on the visit: "It's just a small community here, and everyone is excited to see President Tsai take the time to visit."
Day Siou-dai, 80, an event attendee, expressed her privilege to participate and revealed that she had voted for Tsai Ing-wen in the last election.
"President Tsai is highly educated, unencumbered by political baggage, and has a solid track record. Furthermore, she is Taiwan's first female president," she stated.
In addition to playing games with the elderly, Tsai Ing-wen also discussed the principles behind the government's planning for the elder care budget. She emphasized that during her tenure, she has consistently increased funding and expanded the budget for long-term care. Her opponents have continually criticized her approach. However, ultimately, under her administration, an elder care program was established. She promised that as long as the government's finances were sufficient, she would continue to invest in it.
Mayor Jhou emphasized that President Tsai's visit was a gesture of goodwill to the elderly and was not tied to the impending general election.
"We were notified of President Tsai's visit just one day in advance," Jhou explained, "and today's activities were non-political."
Day did not endorse any specific candidate when asked about her voting intentions for the election. "I'll vote for the action-oriented person," she added, "regardless of party affiliation."
Kaohsiung Gears Up for Elections with Over 2 Million Voters Registered
by Kong Tsz Yuen, Miu Wai Yan, Mao Anqi
Kaohsiung, Jan 9 (TYR)- The presidential, vice-presidential, and legislative elections are scheduled for January 13th (Saturday). According to statistics from the Kaohsiung City Election Commission, the number of eligible voters for the presidential and vice-presidential elections in Kaohsiung City is 2,312,303, while the number for the proportional representation legislative election is 2,314,022, and the number for the regional legislative election is 2,277,395.
Kaohsiung City has established a total of 2,038 polling and vote-counting stations. Additionally, a simulation drill and observation meeting for the voting and vote-counting procedures were conducted before the election, hoping to learn from the drill and to enhance the emergency response capabilities of the staff at the polling stations.
Zhou Huang Jun Yu, 65, is the district councilor of Anli. Over 3,000 people vote for the district councilor, and Zhou Huang has been in office for five years.
The district office has entrusted the district councilor with managing the Anli Activity Center, and the district office will oversee the polling station.
The Anli Activity Center provides the elderly with opportunities to participate in different activities. "The elderly are more experienced than young people when it comes to voting in elections," Zhou Huang stated.
He added, "On the day of the voting, two ballot boxes will be prepared for the 4,000 residents of Anli. It is estimated that more than 3,000 people will vote, 70% to 80% of Anli’s population."
In the Lingya District, another polling station is located at Wufu Junior High School. The Central Election Commission has instructed the school to allocate 20 classrooms on the first floor to facilitate the election process for the residents of Linquan Village, Zhongzheng Li, and Shangyi Village.
Louis Lin, a 62-year-old security guard at the high school, said, "The school was notified at the end of last year that it would serve as a polling station. Voters, however, only received detailed political platforms and information about the candidates in their mailboxes two weeks ago."