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City councilors pan mayor over Taipei Arena management

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) came under fire yesterday over the management of the Taipei Arena since the city government took over the facility from scandal-ridden Eastern Multimedia Group.

As Hau presented his first report on municipal developments to the Taipei City Council yesterday, city councilors lashed out at him for failing to mention problems with the Taipei Arena and Maokong gondola system in the report. Councilors questioned his administration's ability to operate the arena.

"Since the Hau army marched into the arena a month ago, the place has been in ruins and the city's sports bureau has refused to provide information to councilors," Taiwan Solidarity Union Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said in a question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council.

Democratic Progressive Party councilors Hung Chien-yi (洪健益) and Chuang Rei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) questioned the legitimacy of the special team the city government formed to run the arena.

They said the city government's involvement in the management of the arena violated the Government Procurement Act (採購法).

"The city government has no ability to manage the arena and it is against the law to skip the public bidding process to select a management team," Chuang said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) councilor Lai Su-ru (賴素如) joined the pan-green councilors in urging Hau not to interfere with municipal property.

Hau said the city government had reduced rental fees at the arena, as it did not seek to make a profit from the operation.

The city government would consider continuing to run the facility if the operation proved successful, he said.

"The arena is public property, and the city government's goal is to revive the arena," Hau said.

The city government took over the arena last month and formed a special team led by Taipei City Secretariat Deputy Director Yang Hsi-an (楊錫安) to manage operations there. It appointed Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation vice president Tan Kuo-kuang (譚國光) on Thursday as director of the arena.

Hau has said the city would run the arena for one year, following which it would find a new operator through public tender.
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