Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday said former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has agreed to serve as supreme adviser for his Taipei mayoral election campaign.
“We came to ask for his support in my campaign and listened to his opinions on the election and future governance,” Yao said. “I especially asked him to be the supreme adviser for my campaign and future municipal administration, and I am grateful that he agreed.”
Yao talked to reporters after he walked out of an apartment building with Chen during a surprise morning visit to Kaohsiung, along with Ketagalan Institute president and political commentator Chin Heng-wei (金恆煒).
Photo: CNA
Chen defeated three strong candidates in the 1994 Taipei mayoral election and became the best mayor the city has ever had, Yao said, adding that he hopes Chen would share his experiences with the campaign.
Yao quoted Chen as telling him that the DDP has not governed Taipei for 20 years, so hopefully the younger generation of party members could take the responsibility and transform the party’s values and beliefs into good administrative performances.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) said that Chen should be taken back to prison, as his behavior has violated the rules of his compassionate release.
Chen was sentenced to 20 years in jail for corruption. He had served more than six years when he in January 2015 was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Taichung Prison, where Chen was incarcerated, yesterday said it would decide how to respond after assessing the situation further.
Additional reporting by Chien Hui-ju and Chang Jui-chen
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