When asked to comment on Ma's previous bicycle tour around the nation, Yang said the city government could not comment on whether other district governments considered Ma's tour a sports event or a political one. He reiterated that any group or individual who wanted to hold an activity in the city should file an application.
KMT Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said Ma's campaign had respected local governments' authority and had filed applications for permits when needed. Su urged the DPP to respect the "partnership" between the central and local governments.
Meanwhile, Deputy Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) called on the Taipei City Government not to apply a double standard to the torch relay.
Chen Chi-mai said the torch relay is a sports event and that politicians must not politicize the matter. He added that the public supported the government's plan to hold a referendum on seeking UN membership.
He said that Ma had not asked for permission from local governments for his round-the-island cycling tour, and that the Taipei City Government should be more cooperative when faced with events such as the torch relay. He said organizers had arranged for the president to lead the torch relay, but that other details were still being arranged. He said he did not think the first family had been invited to the launch ceremony.
Commenting on the row between the DPP and the KMT over the event, Chen Chi-mai said that any resolution hinged on the actions of the Taipei mayor. Hau, a KMT member, said the relay was illegal because organizers had not applied for permits. Hau also said his government would "handle the matter in accordance with the law." Chen Chi-mai urged the city government to respect the public's right to assemble and said that he believed Taipei residents did not want to see law enforcement officers making unnecessary arrests as to do so would see the country descend into martial law.
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