Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) decision two months ago to open the Taichung World Flora Exposition to all city residents rendered the 1.5 million expo cards that the city issued all but useless, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians said on Friday.
Before getting unlimited free entry, Taichung residents could apply for cards that grant them one day of free entry to the expo and a 50 percent rebate for subsequent visits.
However, Lu campaigned on granting free access to all residents and honored that promise after taking office on Dec. 25.
Photo: Chang Hsuen-che, Taipei Times
The Taichung Transportation Bureau announced that residents could enter expo sites with a national photo ID, but rejected the expo cards, which lacked photographs.
The policy reversal was not well-received by residents who purchased the card.
A woman surnamed Chang (張) from Wufeng District (霧峰) said she was eager to see the expo, but was rejected at the entrance when she only had the expo card.
The cards are accepted by city buses as EasyCards, but Chang said she already owns two EasyCards and has no use for another one.
A visitor from Houli District (后里), who asked not to be named, said many residents bought the cards for their entire family and the mayoral transition should not have led to so much inconvenience.
In response, former city spokesman Cho Kuan-ting (卓冠廷) said that then-Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) conceived of the cards as an experimental resident ID for city services, including free bus rides and municipal welfare subsidies, in addition to functioning as a ticket for the expo.
Lu’s policies thwarted a program that could have saved public spending by streamlining identification requirements across the city, he said.
During the campaign, Lin warned voters that Lu’s campaign pledge could cause a breach of contract with the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), who hosts the event, Cho added.
DPP Taichung City Councilor Chang Yu-yen (張玉嬿) said that the city government certifies the identity of expo cardholders upon issuance, so the cards should be considered valid proof of identity and accepted as expo tickets.
“It is ridiculous that the municipal government is treating 1.5 million city residents like thieves,” she said.
DPP city council whip Lee Tien-sheng (李天生) said that the municipality printed 3 million cards and the party would hold Liu accountable for squandering public funds.
Lin, who is now minister of transportation and communications, on Sunday last week said that the national government is willing to help Taichung resolve its differences with the AIPH, which has reportedly threatened to disqualify the city from hosting events in the future.
“It would be best if the mayor’s new policies do not interfere with the city’s pre-existing contractual obligations,” he said, adding that he still believes expo cards should be developed into a multifunction pass for municipal services.
Additional reporting by Liao Shu-ling
‘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 magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS