The two main rivals for Taipei mayor faced off in a televised debate last night, crossing swords on issues ranging from labor, gender equality and national identity to ethics, nuclear energy and the challenges facing young people.
Independent contender Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) touted himself as a candidate who can “reset” Taiwanese politics by breaking the partisan confrontation between the blue and green camps, and by realizing the ideals of fairness and justice.
The election’s outcome would determine whether people would be able to revive the belief that “success treads upon the heels of efforts” or whether the future would be dominated by a monopolistic “Taipei financial holding company” as Lien has proposed, Ko said.
Photo courtesy of SET-TV
Sean Lien (連勝文) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) told voters that choosing between Ko and him was a choice between giving the city a chance to achieve “a great leap forward in development” or to face “a massive disaster.”
It is also a choice between giving him a chance to resolve problems facing the city or giving Ko a chance to treat the city as a “laboratory of new medicines,” Lien said, referring to Ko’s profession as a physician.
Their “vision” for the city is the biggest difference that sets them apart, Lien said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The two-hour-long debate hosted by SET-TV (三立電視) from 8pm to 10pm yesterday was the first and so far the only debate event both camps have agreed to.
It started with scripted openings for Ko and Lien, followed by questions from six civic groups — the Taiwan Labor Front, Taiwan Competitiveness Forum, Taipei City Youth Development Association, Taiwan Coalition Against Violence, Homemakers United Foundation and the Organization of Urban Reforms — and questions from the candidates to their rivals, followed by a summation.
During the question-and-answer session with civic groups, Ko reiterated that he would not join any political party and, if elected, would ask senior city government officials not to participate in political activities.
Responding to criticism that he has shifted his position from being an advocate of Taiwanese independence to acceptance of the Republic of China (ROC) only after he decided to run for Taipei mayor, Ko said that people who favor the ROC over Taiwan should have the courage to mention the ROC when they are in China.
Lien vowed that he would demand that all city government officials strictly abide by rules on ethics when dealing with businesses if he wins the election.
All city government employees will not be allowed to entertain businesses involved in public tenders for city contracts, Lien said.
He added that he has never had ethics issues when he served as chairman of Taipei EasyCard Corp (悠遊卡公司).
On energy issues, Ko and Lien said they oppose extending the service life of the two nuclear power plants in New Taipei City. Ko added that he wished to see an early decommissioning of the plants and pledged to develop alternative energy sources.
During the cross-questioning session, Lien said that Ko, despite being an independent candidate, is closely affiliated with the “deep green” camp because Ko has said that if he is elected, it would be the best chance to release former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is now severely ill in prison.
Ko said that both Lien and Chen were his patients.
“As a doctor, is there anything wrong when I said that Chen was diagnosed with severe psychological trauma?” Ko said.
“It’s a political issue. The issue should be open to discussion. Even Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) suggested medical parole for Chen,” Ko said.
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