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NEWSMAKER: Hau neglecting city's affairs: councilors

Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin hands out memorial pins during the new year parade in Taipei yesterday. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) celebrated on Tuesday the first anniversary of his inauguration. However, rather than his municipal performance, most of the attention Hau has attracted over the past year has centered on his stances on a variety of issues in opposition to the central government.

From the streamlining of school textbooks, the tax redistribution fund, the permit for the government's UN bid torch relay, the renaming of National Taiwan Democracy Hall and the changing of the inscription on its main arch earlier this month, to recent disputes over the one-step or two-step voting procedure for next month's legislative election, Hau has seemingly gained a reputation among pan-blue supporters as the champion of the opposition camp in its ongoing confrontation with the central government.

Hau, 56, was born into a military family and is the son of former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝伯村). He came into the political limelight when he served as chief of the Environmental Protection Administration under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government from 2001 to 2003.

His insistence on carrying out a policy restricting the use of plastic bags and his resignation in protest at the holding of a referendum on the opening of the Taipei-Ilan highway linking Pinglin (坪林) and Shihding (石碇) gave the public a glimpse into his views.

Commenting on Hau's first year in office, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Chou Po-ya (周博雅) said Hau had put too much effort into fighting the central government while failing to familiarize himself with developments at the municipal level.

"He should be more diplomatic and humble in his attitude, be more self-critical and communicate better with councilors," he said.

DPP Taipei City Councilor Wu Su-yao (吳思瑤) said the media coverage of Hau, which focused on his administration's confrontation with the central government, showed his lack of attention to his duties as mayor.

In May, when the Ministry of Education decided to rename Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall as Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, Hau expressed his firm opposition and threatened to arrest workers who removed the name plate.

His battle with the ministry continued as he criticized its multiple textbooks policy and insisted on standardizing textbooks in municipal schools.

This was followed by another dispute over the ministry's decision earlier this month to replace the plaque on the hall's main arch.

In his latest confrontation over the voting procedure, Hau vowed to adopt the two-step voting system in Taipei City and warned that "anyone who fails to follow the two-step voting procedure, including the president and all other politicians, will not be given ballots."

Liao Da-chi (廖達琪), a political science professor at National Chungshan University, said Hau should use his determination to improve the city.

"Being tough and persistent is not a bad thing, but he should take advantage of such characteristics in the pursuit of municipal development," she said.

Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), professor of public administration at Tamkang University, agreed that Hau should not waste his energy confronting the central government and should also include more talent in his administration.

While criticizing Hau for his poor performance as mayor -- accusations stemming in part from the continuous malfunction of the Maokong Gondola and the problematic management of the Taipei Arena -- DPP Taipei City Councilor Lee Wen-ying (李文英) gave Hau some credit for being more practical and steadfast than Ma.

During the celebration of his first year anniversary last week, Hau acknowledged his administration's problematic relations with the central government, but blamed the latter for creating conflict.

"We have been in a passive position in our disputes with the central government. The city government does not stir up trouble. However, we will continue to fight for our rights in line with the law," he was quoted as saying at the press conference.

KMT Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (陳玉梅), on the other hand, lauded Hau for his determination and said it would be unfair to judge Hau's performance, as city development and the policies were implemented using the budget left by Ma's administration.

Independent Taipei City Councilor Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said Hau has spent too much time solving problems left over by Ma, including the Maokong Gondola and Taipei Arena, and expected him to perform better next year.

"Hopefully Hau will emerge from Ma's shadow and become an independent mayor," she said.
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