The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses yesterday accused the New Taipei City mayoral candidates of each copying their rival’s campaign platforms.
In July, DPP New Taipei City mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) unveiled his platform, which included policies to push urban regeneration, childcare, elderly care, smart city development and urban beautification, as well as to help the municipality’s administrative districts carve out a niche for themselves, DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan.
New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), who is the KMT’s candidate for the city, copied those policies, and last month introduced his platform, which promises to “implement government-led urban renewal, double the number of public daycare centers, develop predominant business activities for each district, and build technology and security in the city,” Ho said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Su recently said that he would “provide a stage for 10 million Taiwanese to shine,” DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said, adding that Hou then said that he would “give young people a stage by transforming New Taipei City into a nexus toward which 10 million people could gravitate.”
Hou’s campaign team even copied Su, who reminded subscribers to a social media account of his to check the winning numbers for the bimonthly uniform invoice lottery, he said.
Hou’s camp might as well pay Su for planning his campaign, as Hou’s team “simply copies everything from him,” Wang said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
KMT legislators William Tseng (曾銘宗) and Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) later held a news conference, where they rejected the allegations.
Aside from urban beautification, Hou unveiled his platform in March, which was before Su was nominated by the DPP, Ko said.
When visiting a tea farm on Aug. 7, Hou proposed a policy encouraging young “farmers” to return to their hometowns, she said.
Su a week later also visited a tea farm and said he would encourage young “people” to return to their hometowns, she said.
After Hou on Aug. 9 unveiled a policy of “exploring local business opportunities,” Su on Aug. 15 proposed the same policy at a cafe, she said.
Su even copied the slogan used by outgoing New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) in 2014 when he was running for re-election: “The Doer,” she said.
“Su’s camp should be thankful that [Hou] is not charging royalties,” Ko said.
The KMT welcomes the continuation of any policy that would benefit New Taipei City residents, but opposes unfounded accusations, Tseng said.
Voters should decide for themselves who the real “copycat” is, he added.
‘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
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
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
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