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Hau celebrates year as mayor

Members of Taipei City's parking management union and the Confederation of Taiwan Trade Unions protest outside Taipei Arena, where Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin was celebrating the first anniversary of his inauguration yesterday. PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES

On the first anniversary of Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin's (郝龍斌) inauguration, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City caucus yesterday expressed its dissatisfaction over major municipal developments and urged Hau to stop focusing on confronting the central government.

Hau yesterday spoke of some major municipal challenges and achievements during his first year in office, including the construction of the exclusive bus lanes on Roosevelt Road, the management of Taipei Arena and the technical problems with the Maokong Gondola, vowing to continue making Taipei a better city.

"Facing all the challenges, we have always followed the laws and regulations and have managed to fix most of the problems," Hau said yesterday at the anniversary ceremony at the Taipei Arena.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Chen Chia-ming (陳嘉銘), however, condemned Hau for failing to present practical measures to carry out his major municipal promise -- to dredge the Danshui River.

"The city government budged NT$4 billion [US$120 million] to dredge the river, but did not do anything. Besides, in order to dredge the Danshui River, the city government turned the Keelung River into a gutter for waste water from the Danshui River," Chen said yesterday at the Taipei City Council.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) lashed out at Hau for politicizing municipal issues and confronting the central government for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

Wu said that media coverage on Hau had focused on his administration's confrontation with the central government, followed by the Maokong Gondola and Taipei Arena problems and his campaigning for KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

"The city government will hold 22 big events with a budget of NT$28 million next year and plans to invite Ma to attend those events. Evidently those are campaign activities for Ma," Wu said.

Hau yesterday acknowledged his administration's problematic relations with the central government, but blamed the central government for creating the conflicts.

"We have been in a passive position in the disputes with the central government. The city government does not stir up trouble. However, we will fight for our rights in line with the law," he added.

Outside Taipei Arena, a small group of people from Taipei City's parking management union protested against the city government's allegedly illegal layoff of four of its members.

Protected by more than 200 police outside the arena who kept the protesters at bay, Hau dismissed the union's calls for him to negotiate the issue, adding that he supported the city's transportation department decision to fire the workers, who had illegally taken 200 days off last year.
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