Ma putting style ahead of substance, councilors say

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has achieved little in terms of municipal construction over the past six years, preferring to devote his time to being a media darling, city councilors from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday.

During city council's question and answer session yesterday, DPP Councilor Lee Chien-chang (李建昌) presented a survey that found more than 50 percent of the city's bureau directors considered their own performances as "just passable" during the past year.

Lee said even Taipei Deputy Mayor Pai Hsiou-hsiung (白秀雄) had said in the survey that the city government's performance last year was "mediocre."

"Mayor Ma relied on his strong support and good looks and paid little attention to municipal constriction, while taking part in too many futile activities that enable him to show off on the TV news," Lee said.

Lee urged the mayor to remedy the problems created by his administration so that he doesn't fall short of citizens' expectations.

Lee then presented Ma with the snack food Guai Guai.

Guai Guai, or "submissive" in English, is a snack popular among children.

Lee asked Ma to receive the food and said the snack's name is the impression Ma has presented Taiwan.

Ma refused to take the snack and told Lee to control his behavior.

Lee's action stemmed from Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai's (陳其邁) remarks on Wednesday about Ma's first appearance at a Cabinet meeting since the May 20 inauguration of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). Chen Chi-mai jokingly said that he would reward Ma with Guai Guai if Ma attends another Cabinet meeting.

City bureau directors, dubbed "Ma's troops," said Chen Chi-mai's remarks were inappropriate and flippant.

City spokesman Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇), before calling Chen Chi-mai crude, said he wouldn't react to such "low-level" remarks.

Responding to a question from DPP City Councilor Chou Wei-yu (周威佑), Ma denied that his administration has built up a "campaign beachhead" in central Taiwan through the activities of summer camps for students held by the New Taiwanese Cultural Foundation (新台灣人基金會), an organization that Ma founded after he was elected mayor in 1998.

Ma said the foundation often holds activities for college students and that these activities had been going on for some time.

But Chou said the camps featuring cross-strait affairs were Ma's first step to widen his support south of the Chuoshui River (濁水溪).

"I would like to stress again that there are no `Ma's troops' in the city government. Only pan-blue camp troops exist," Ma said.