Kaohsiung Council spat cools, blame is avoided

One day after a furious exchange in the city council chamber, Kaohsiung's mayor and council speaker shook hands yesterday to signal a truce in their dispute over who is paid the most.

Both, however, insisted that they had done nothing to provoke the other's wrath.

"We should have calmed down after tempers began to flare and lob no more accusations," Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said at yesterday's city council meeting.

"But, for all the respect I have for the speaker, who represents the council, he used inappropriate words [against me]," he said.

Showing no sign of giving in, the council's speaker, Huang Chi-chuan (黃啟川), responded with sarcasm.

"I've only asked him to leave for a while, but he was like an old grandpa who couldn't be moved, and even challenged me by threatening to call the police," Huang said.

"Despite his understanding of the law, Hsieh openly challenged [my] authority to maintain order."

Following mediation by city councilors not involved in the dispute, Hsieh and Huang shook hands during a break in yesterday's session, only to quickly turn away from each other.

However, Huang later muttered to reporters that Hsieh should be disciplined by the Cabinet and the Control Yuan for his act of disrespect in leading a walk-out from Thursday's council meeting.

Earlier yesterday morning, DPP supporters, organized by one of the party's Kaohsiung legislative candidates, Lin Chin-hsin (林進興), gathered outside the council chamber to show their support for Hsieh.

The group shouted at police dispatched to disperse their unauthorized gathering.

Yesterday's council session proceeded without incident. The dispute over who -- the mayor or city councilors -- is paid more wasn't raised during the session.

On Thursday, Hsieh argued that city councilors were paid more than the mayor in his response to questions on the matter by Councilors Chu Wen-ching (朱文慶), Liu Shao-chun (劉少春) and Dai Te-min (戴德銘). The two counsellors took exception to Hsieh's response.

Instead of attempting to settle the dispute or placate the combatants, Huang ordered Hsieh to leave the session, saying that the latter had shown "no sincerity" in answering the councilors' question.

Hsieh then walked out of the council chamber and asked other high-ranking officials to follow, saying that they should not answer the counsel's questions without him being present. The resulting walkout caused the council session to be cancelled.