Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors yesterday urged Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and his administration to improve their performance after criticizing his low approval rating in recent polls.
DPP Taipei City councilors Chou Wei-yo (周威佑) and Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) cited polls conducted by local media outlets over the past two years when comparing Hau’s low approval rating with that of Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋).
“Hau’s performance is not much better than Chou Hsi-wei’s. His approval ratings are terribly low in different polls conducted in comparison with other local government heads or with other party politicians in the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT],” Wu said in a press conference at the Taipei City Council.
In a January poll by the China Times on the performance and approval ratings of local government heads, about 500 Taipei residents gave Hau 61 points out of 100. His rating was the third worst in the poll, followed by Chou Hsi-wei’s 60 points and Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-cheng’s (鄺麗貞) 58 points. Hau, Chou and Kuang are all members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
In another poll by CommonWealth magazine last year, Hau’s performance fell from No. 8 to No. 17 out of the 23 local government heads, the councilor said.
Taipei City Research Development and Evaluation Commission statistics show that Hau’s approval rating fell from 55 percent in 2007 to 52 percent last year. However, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) approval rating increased from 41 percent to 65 percent last year, statistics from the Kaohsiung City Research Development and Evaluation Commission showed.
“Taipei is the capital city and enjoys more resources than other cities and counties. However, our mayor’s performance is as poor as Chou Hsi-wei and Kuang’s. He should reflect upon his low approval rating,” Chou Wei-yo said.
Chou Hsi-wei’s low approval rating has prompted media speculation that the KMT could dissuade him from seeking re-election in the year-end election.
Hau has acknowledged his poor approval rating since taking office two years ago, attributing the low numbers to the lack of promotion efforts initiated by the city government.
Hau defended his achievements in improving Tamsui River water quality and public safety, and vowed to promote municipal policies.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from