Taipei's five mayoral candidates clashed in a televised debate yesterday as they touted their platform for transforming the capital into an internationally competitive city.
However, the debate rapidly turned into questions about integrity with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin (
The four other candidates took turns in questioning Hau, who has been leading the pack in polls, over his political loyalty and integrity in dealing with the utility bill issue.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Taiwan Solidarity Union candidate Clara Chou (周玉蔻), who was expelled by her party on Thursday for refusing to toe the party line in opposing the pan-blue initiated third recall motion against the president, grilled Hau over the utility bill issue during the cross-questioning session in the debate.
"Aside from the utility bill issue, you have admitted that your telephone bills have been paid for by the government and you promised to return the money. Where is the money now?" Chou asked.
Hau has been accused of taking advantage of his father's privileges as a former premier to have the government pay his utility bills.
Independent candidate Li Ao (
"He was a New Party member, a DPP [Democratic Progressive Party] government official, and is now representing the KMT in the election. It's quite contradictory," said Soong, who asked for "time-off" from his People First Party chairmanship to run as an independent in the race.
Hau, a former Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) head, shrugged off the attacks, and lashed out at DPP candidate candidate Frank Hsieh (
"The prosecutors listed you as one of the defendants in the corruption case ... We don't need a corrupt mayor in Taipei," Hau said.
Turning on Hsieh, Li blamed him for the DPP's decision to support the president even after the recent indictment of first lady Wu Shu-jen on corruption charges.
"If you don't separate yourself from the corrupt president, how can you persuade residents that you would be a good mayor with integrity?" Li said.
While saying that he respected his party's consensus on the issue, Hsieh sought to switch the debate back to his campaign platform, which includes cleaning up the Tamsui River, renovating old communities and bringing hope to Taipei residents by applying to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
Hau also put the Tamsui River cleanup project as his main campaign platform, while vowing to promote integrity among the city government's staff.
Soong said that as the next mayor, he would fight the central government to win more budget and power for the city government.
As the lone female candidate, Chou promised to establish a female-friendly city and urged voters to eliminate "male politics" by voting for her.
While the four candidates outlined their government program, Li lashed out at both the president and incumbent Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"I can't promise you that I will solve the vendor issue or traffic problems in Taipei ... Don't believe those candidates' platforms. They never fulfill their promises," Li said when responding to a questioned raised by a resident, who asked Li to offer solutions to the city's illegal vendor issue.
Yesterday's debate, hosted by the TVBS station, was the first time the five candidates trashed out their campaign platforms in a debate setting.
The station also invited 30 randomly selected Taipei residents to watch the debate with opportunities to raise questions.
Meanwhile, Ma, who also serves as the KMT chairman, yesterday dismissed allegations made in a story by the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday that the KMT would propose a fourth recall motion against the president if the party wins the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections on Dec. 9.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS