A mayoral campaign video promising to install bidet toilet seats in Taipei public restrooms was taken down yesterday after the proposal by former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate for Taipei, drew criticism from the the public and political opponents.
The video promised bidets if Chen is elected mayor, but a scene in which Chen is depicted delivering a bidet seat to a man in a public restroom prompted accusations that the video promoted sexual harassment.
At Chen’s campaign headquarters, his campaign director, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤), said the team’s vision is to ensure that city residents are happier, and small parts of daily life, including public toilets, contribute to a sense of well-being.
Photo: CNA
There are about 3,673 public restrooms, including an estimated 7,200 stalls, that are managed by the city government and the plan is to install bidet seats to improve hygiene, Wu said.
In addition to ensuring that toilet paper is in all of them, the proposal includes equipping public restrooms with alcohol-based disinfectants, disposable seat covers and bidets, she said, adding that janitors would be required to enhance disinfection measures to ensure hygiene.
The installation of bidets might seem trivial, but it is actually important, as it shows consideration for people’s needs, Chen said.
The cleanliness of public toilets often leaves an impression on tourists, as shown by how people respond to high-tech toilets in big cities in Japan, Chen said, adding that he hopes Taipei would become an international city that leaves a good impression on visitors.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), the KMT’s candidate for Taipei mayor, said that people care more about the frequency of cleaning and maintenance of public restrooms.
Also, women are more concerned about long lines, Chiang said.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), who is seeking the top job as an independent, said that Chen’s proposal is “fancy, but impractical,” and the focus should be on management and maintenance.
The video promoting the policy featured Internet celebrity Liu Yu (劉宇席), who goes by the nicknamed 4XCat (四叉貓).
A scene depicts Liu sitting in a stall and knocking on the divider to ask for toilet paper. A bidet toilet seat is lowered on a string and Liu looks up to see Chen waving to him over the top of the divider as he delivers the replacement seat.
A revised version of the video was uploaded after the original was deleted. The peeking scene was deleted in the new version.
The original drew criticism online as well as from KMT city councilors, who said that “peeping in restrooms” is sexual harassment and the scene made them uncomfortable.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by