Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) yesterday tearfully announced that he would not stand in the year-end mayoral election for Sinbei City (新北市) — as Taipei County will be known after it is upgraded to a special municipality — and threw his backing behind Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Chou said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, and KMT Secretary-General King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) had talked to him about his election bid twice.
Because the party, the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan all supported Chu, Chou said he had decided to respect the democratic system and endorse Chu because this rival was leading in the polls.
“I hope to set a precedent by showing that an elected public official does not need to serve two terms,” he said. “Only with the mindset that he has only one term to serve can a person do a better job.”
Despite speculation that Chou’s decision was made in exchange for a position in the Cabinet or Presidential Office, he said he would not join either body, nor would he accept an appointment at a state-owned business.
“I will work until the very last day,” he said. “The rumor that I would join the Cabinet or Presidential Office has been circulating for two years. I guarantee you that there won’t be any exchange or under-the-table deal.”
When asked about his future plans, Chou said his top priority was to finish his term, adding that he needed time to think about what he would do next.
Chou’s election bid has been in question because of his lackluster performance and poor approval ratings. Ma said before the Lunar New Year that the KMT would decide on a candidate a month or two after the holiday.
Both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) hope to win the first mayoral race for the city, which will have the biggest population of any administrative district in the country, to gain momentum before the 2012 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Chu dismissed speculation that he would run in the Sinbei race, saying he admired Chou’s decision and respected the effort he had put in to county affairs.
“I hope the pubic and media will judge him fairly,” he said.
Chu said it was up to the party to decide when or who to nominate, emphasizing that his top priority was to perform his duties as vice premier, including lowering the unemployment rate and improving the economy.
When asked whether he was ready to take up the new challenge, he said his challenge was to do his current job well.
Chu made the remarks during a meeting organized by the KMT yesterday afternoon for Cabinet officials and party lawmakers to discuss how they could boost cooperation.
King said he did not know about Chou’s decision in advance, but would telephone him and then follow up with a meeting as soon as possible.
King said the last time they talked, Chou told him that he would respect the polls.
Asked who might be Chu’s successor, with Council for Economic Planning and Development Chairman Tsai Hsun-hsiung (蔡勳雄) being touted as one of the possible candidates, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said he does not comment on hypothetical questions.
“There is no such situation, at least for the moment,” Wu said.
However, Wu said he believed Chu would do an excellent job in whatever post he was in judging from his outstanding performances in previous positions, such as lawmaker and Taoyuan County commissioner.
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