Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said the race for Taipei mayor promises to be a tough battle with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), but added that he would use his municipal achievements to boost his support rate.
Stepping up his election campaign efforts, Hau said he understood the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) concerns about his support rate, but denied that poor municipal policies contributed to his low approval rating.
“I know the election will be a tough battle, but crisis can also be an opportunity. I will step up efforts to promote municipal achievements to attract voters’ support,” the mayor said after an interview with ERA TV.
Several polls conducted by local media outlets showed Hau either leading Su by a slim margin or even falling behind the DPP candidate, prompting President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also serves as the KMT chairman, to campaign for him on Wednesday by taking the Maokong Gondola and promoting Hau’s municipal achievements.
Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), who was recently appointed by the KMT to help in formulating campaign strategies and analyzing poll data, expressed concern about Hau’s low support rate and urged the mayor to address public grievances on poor municipal projects to boost his support rate.
Judging from recent polls, Jaw said more than 90 percent of pan-green voters supported Su, while Hau failed to attract about 30 percent of the pan-blue vote.
“Hau could lose the election if he is tied with Su in opinion polls, and it is extremely important for him to revive supporters’ passion and get them to support him,” Jaw said yesterday morning when asked for comments.
Jaw said he remained confident about Hau’s performance in the November election, but called on the mayor to work closely with city councilors to consolidate his support base.
He said Hau should have the courage to dismantle the bike lanes on Dunhua North and South roads, a major municipal construction that has only aroused the public's ire and caused traffic congestion.
Hau yesterday said he respected Jaw’s advice, but defended his policies and municipal constructions.
“I understand Mr Jaw's anxiety, but we’ve improved the bike lanes on the road ... I have already apologized for the project, and we did make some changes to address public concerns,” he said.
The city government acknowledged the poor design of the bike lane after both cyclists and drivers complained about the project, and opened the lane for cars on weekdays starting in April.
Hau said his municipal team would present more policies to improve the lives of Taipei residents’ and attract public support with his performance.
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