《TAIPEI TIMES》 Supporters of Tsai, Lai take out newspaper ads

MEDIATION: Former minister of national defense Michael Tsai urged three members of a DPP task force to resign, saying they had failed to remain impartial in the primary

By Yang Chun-hui and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

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Supporters of President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） and former premier William Lai （賴清德） yesterday took out opposing ads in the same newspaper as the Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） launched a week-long public opinion poll to choose its presidential candidate.

Tsai and Lai are vying for the DPP’s nomination for the presidential election in January next year.

A group of Tsai supporters took out a half-page ad on the front page of the Chinese-language Liberty Times （the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times） saying that she is the best candidate to represent the DPP in the election.

Chou Chih-hsuan （周芷萱）, who launched a crowdfunding campaign to pay for the ad, said that it received support from 1,710 people, of whom 1,127 contributed financially.

The campaign raised NT$2.88 million （US$91,615） in 41 hours through 1,352 transactions, with donations coming from all walks of society, Chou said, adding that most of the donations were small amounts and the average age of the contributors was about 35.

Recent attacks against Tsai made it apparent that Taiwan needs gender equality education, Chou added.

Meanwhile, a group of Lai supporters led by National Yang Ming University professor Hung Yu-hung （洪裕宏） took out a full-page ad on an inside page of the Liberty Times.

The ad accused the DPP Central Executive Committee of changing the rules of the primary after passing regulations and accused Tsai of acting like an “empress.”

The ad said that even the Japanese media have accused Tsai of “changing the rules to benefit herself, as Lai is more popular.”

Separately yesterday, a group of Taiwanese independence supporters who are monitoring the primary at a news conference accused a “certain individual” of failing to demonstrate sportsmanship.

The person was not prepared for Saturday’s televised platform presentation, as they consistently looked down at their notes and did not speak Hoklo （commonly known as Taiwanese） in a “campaign for Taiwan’s president,” they said, in an apparent reference to Tsai.

The group urged the DPP not to change the primary’s timetable and rules any further, and called on party members and government officials to refrain from intervening in the primary.

Former minister of national defense Michael Tsai （蔡明憲）, who attended the news conference, said that Premier Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌）, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu （陳菊） and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan （鄭文燦） should have remained neutral, given they are part of a five-member task force set up by the party to mediate between Tsai and Lai.

They should quit their posts for publicly supporting Tsai, he added.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES

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