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.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
RSS