The political fallout from a fire that spewed heavy pollution across Yunlin County two weeks ago is unlikely to affect election prospects more than 150km away in Taipei County, the candidates in the two major parties said yesterday.
The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Eric Chu (朱立倫) and the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) denied that the government’s handling of the pollution would sway the more than half a million Taipei County voters from the largely agricultural county.
The questions were raised after Yunlin County Commissioner Su Chih-fen (蘇治芬) knelt in front of the Executive Yuan on Thursday, appealing to Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to crack down on pollution caused by the region's massive petrochemical complex.
The 1,680-hectare plant, located in Mailiao Township (麥寮), is owned by the Formosa Plastics Group and its operations over the past few years have led to a number of health concerns among residents.
These concerns were compounded by a fire that broke out at a pollution treatment facility in the complex on July 25. The smoke is said to have exposed Yunlin residents to seven times the average level of airborne pollutants and seriously damaged the county's agricultural and fishing industries.
Speaking at a campaign stop in a Taipei County temple yesterday, Tsai said she did not see how the incident would boost the opposition party’s election prospects.
“Su's kneeling was based on concerns for the well-being and safety of [Yunlin County] residents. We should see the fire as an environmental incident instead of it having a direct connection to the [November] elections,” she said.
Tsai, who doubles as DPP chairperson, recently spoke out in support of the county commissioner, saying the DPP would likely put a halt on future petrochemical expansions if it regains power in 2012.
Chu said he did not see how the industrial incident could be politicized, given that “in today's society, I don't think industrial safety should be given a political slant.”
He told reporters that he has maintained good relations with Taipei County residents originally from Yunlin and would be counting on their support on Nov. 27.
A representative from a Yunlin community association in the electoral district declined to comment, calling it a “sensitive issue.”
Tsai and Chu are locked neck-and-neck in the elections for the nation’s most populous municipality. Taipei County will be upgraded to a special municipality and renamed Sinbei City on Dec. 25.
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