Another source of friction between the central government and the Taipei City Government yesterday led Vice President Annette Lu (
"Every other couple of days, Mayor Ma takes the lead in rubbing up against [his] superiors and, to a certain degree, undermining democratic ethics, and he should not do this," Lu said.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
Lu was responding to a Taipei City Government request, citing complaints from the public, that traffic around President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) official residence had been disrupted because of barricades installed as part of upgraded security measures.
The city government demanded that the barricades be removed, otherwise it would consider imposing a fine for impeding the flow of traffic.
But Lu took the threat more personally.
"I think it is regrettable that Ma, a Harvard alumnus who enjoys considerable popular support, can openly smear the head of state to such a provocative degree," she said.
However, she urged the agencies in charge of security to negotiate with the city government's Department of Transportation as soon as possible to ensure that the security of the head of state is safeguarded while ensuring a convenient environment for pedestrians and traffic.
Ma said the barricades had been involved in more than 60 traffic accidents in the area since March, when the security measures were put in place.
"We have the responsibility to forward the public's complaints to our superiors," Ma said.
Citing the Assembly and Parade Law (集會遊行法), Presidential Office spokesman Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗) yesterday said the area surrounding the president's residency was off limits for assemblies or parades.
Yet at least 42 demonstrations had taken place in the vicinity of the president's residence since March 20, the day of the presidential election, in addition to various gatherings on a smaller scale, he said.
"Therefore, after an assessment by the security agencies, it was felt necessary to increase the security measures in the area," Chen Wen-tsung said.
"We had no alternative but to take this action. We would not resort to this measure if the safety of our head of state wasn't being threatened," he said, adding that the measures had been applied in a manner that would minimize inconvenience for passing vehicles and pedestrians.
Noting the concerns, Chen Wen-tsung yesterday said the agencies would meet soon to decide whether or not to scale down the level of security in the area.
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