The administration of the nation's two largest municipalities officially changed hands yesterday.
In the nation's capital and largest city, former mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Meanwhile in Kaohsiung, the nation's second-largest city, Mayor Chen Chu (
PHOTO: HUANG CHIH-YUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
In Taipei, the ceremony was accompanied by city staffers who urged Ma to enter the 2008 presidential election.
The Taipei ceremony was presided over by Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who lauded Ma's eight-year effort to make Taipei a diverse city.
Tsai also called on Hau to seek closer cooperation with the central government and attend Executive Yuan meetings regularly because, unlike Ma, he does not have the responsibility of serving as the chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
"We also need help from Mayor Hau to find solutions to the city government's health insurance debt owed to the central government," Tsai said yesterday during the ceremony held at Taipei City Hall.
In his speech at the handover ceremony, Ma, who will now focus on his position as KMT chairman, replied to Tsai's remarks by insisting that the city government had won the lawsuit over the health insurance subsidy dispute.
Ma also urged the central government to return the portion of the money Taipei City had already paid to the health insurance system to the city.
"I also hope that the central government will pay more attention to Taipei City in the future," Ma said.
Detailing his municipal achievements -- from construction of the mass rapid transit system to the improvement of public safety -- Ma said he had fulfilled his promise to bring balanced growth to Taipei.
"I handed over a total of 43 new municipal works to Mayor Hau. This is a treatment I didn't get eight years ago [from former mayor Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁)]," Ma said.
"I expect Mayor Hau to bring Taipei into a better future," he said.
Taking oath of the office, Hau vowed to carry out his campaign promises and push for development in the city.
"I will also insist on the value of integrity and will take disciplinary action against any staff who take bribes," he said.
Hau also promised Tsai that the city government would strengthen ties with the central government and make a list of the city's needs that require the central government's assistance.
"I will make the list immed-iately," he added.
Hau later accompanied Ma as the former mayor walked out of Taipei City Hall as thousands of city staffers and residents swamped the area to send Ma off.
As he left, the crowd serenaded him with chants of "President Ma, go, go," "Mayor Ma, I love you!" and "Go for the president."
Ma later returned to the KMT headquarters but did not say whether he would shuffle personnel or ask some of his municipal aides to assist him with the party's daily operations.
In Kaohsiung, under the supervision of Premier Su Tseng-chang (
In her inauguration speech, Chen Chu said she understood that she shouldered a great responsibility in representing the city's citizens.
"I have to do my best because Kaohsiung citizens have expectations for me and cherish me," she said.
"Only by challenging myself to the fullest in carrying out the city's work can I show my gratitude to everyone," she said.
Although she felt challenged to do a better job than former Kao-hsiung mayors, her administrative team would work closely to achieve that goal, she said.
Yeh told the attendees that she had completed her "rescue mission" of the city successfully, referring to the manner in which she became Kaohsiung's acting mayor after former mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) stepped down because of the involvement of his father, Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), in brokering Thai workers for the construction of the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit system two years ago.
"I can put down my concerns for Kaohsiung [because] Mayor Chen Chu will assume more responsibility [to the city]. Now I can begin a pleasant and free journey of my own," Yeh said.
"I am a Kaohsiung citizen. Kaohsiung gives me have a better understanding of Taiwan," Chen Chu said.
"It also gives me have a fresh understanding of southern Taiwan," she said.
"It is a quality unique to Kao-hsiung citizens to show their affection. Therefore, I want to be like a typical Kaohsiung citizen. I love Kaohsiung," she said.
Su praised Chen Chu's achievements when she served as minister of the Council of Labor Affairs and as Kaohsiung City's director-general of the Bureau of Social Affairs.
"As is her personality, she did her best and achieved great things. She won the support of Kaohsiung citizens and became the mayor. We should all applaud her," Su said.
also see stories:
KMT wins city councils' leadership
Feature: Ma Ying-jeou: how did he do in office?
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS