Su, Hu, Cabinet seek 2-tier system

Setting aside their differences, three local government chiefs vying for the upgrading of their constituencies yesterday pledged to make a joint effort with the Cabinet to help push the passage of legislation designed to establish a two-tier government system.

Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Taichung City Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and Taichung County Commissioner Huang Chung-sheng (黃仲生) made the pledge yesterday after meeting with Premier Yu Shyi-kun at the Executive Yuan yesterday afternoon.

Minister without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮), who started the preliminary review of the administrative zoning law (行政區劃法) yesterday and will review it again by the end of March, said that it is important to enact the law before allowing any regional governments to upgrade their administrative status.

"Although it was President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) election promise to upgrade the administrative status of Taipei County, Taichung County and Taichung City, it needs a well-thought-out plan to put it into practice," he said.

Aiming to establish a two-tier government system, the legislation is designed to set down rules for the adjustment of administrative zoning.

Instead of letting the central government dictate the adjustment of administrative zoning, Yeh said that the proposal would empower local governments to take the initiative to do so, pending the final approval of the Cabinet and ratification of the legislature.

Local governments would also be allowed to dominate the adjustment of administrative zoning of the cities, townships and villages under their jurisdiction.

Su, who has threatened to step down from his current position if the Cabinet approves the upgrading of Taichung City's administrative status before that of Taipei County, said yesterday that he will be happy to see Taichung City get its wish.

"I don't really mind if Taichung City gets to upgrade its administrative status before we do because, with the enactment of the law, I believe the Cabinet will take care of the matter fairly and openly," he said.

Hu also expressed the same opinion. "Although we'd like to be the first local government to upgrade its administrative status after the law takes effect, we'll fully respect the decision of the central government," he said.

The central government's plan to put the administrative status of local governments on the same level as that of the special municipalities of Taipei and Kaohsiung cities has touched off a political debate.

Proponents argued that it is time to unify the status of cities and counties because it would help balance development between urban and rural areas.

Opponents, however, have criticized the reform move as unconstitutional and have painted the proposals as nothing more than a way of attacking the KMT-led Taipei City Government.

The dispute erupted last July after a forum organized by the Ministry of the Interior to discuss reform of local government decided to give all local governments equal status.