Taiwan residents rally against DPP authorities' 'dictatorship'

TAIPEI -- More than 250,000 people on Saturday rallied in a rainy Taipei against Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities' "dictatorship."

Locals were joined by Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu and former chairman Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan People's Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang, head of Taiwan's legislative body Han Kuo-yu and other representatives of the legislative body, as well as local political figures from all over the island.

The rally took place against the backdrop of the so-called "mass recall" launched by the DPP earlier this year, which targeted legislative representatives affiliated with KMT, as searches were conducted against KMT offices across Taiwan.

Since taking office in May last year, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has been dividing and destroying Taiwan, turning a once united Taiwan into a society marked by confrontation, Chu said at the rally, adding that Lai is seeking to eliminate all those who oppose him in pursuit of personal interests and one-party dominance.

Huang echoed his words, stressing that the so-called "mass recall" aims to advance Lai's push toward authoritarian rule, and it is an attempt to make Taiwan a place where "those who follow Lai thrive, and those who oppose him perish," which is a tragedy for the island.

On the DPP authorities' yielding to US trade coercion following the US proposal of so-called "reciprocal tariffs", Ma denounced the DPP authorities' incompetence and authoritarianism, warning that a leader who is incompetent, unmerited and authoritarian is very likely to trigger confrontations across the Taiwan Strait in the future.

Lu Shiow-yen, mayor of Taichung, where manufacturing is the pillar industry, urged Lai at the rally to listen to the voices of the people and the industries, and to focus on revitalizing the economy rather than engaging in political maneuvering.

The rally concluded with the crowd's angry chants of "Lai Ching-te, step down" in unison.