A NT$30 million (US$1 million) government contract to hold a fireworks show at the nation’s tallest building has drawn accusations that it was botched and possibly illegal, with opposition lawmakers alleging the bidding was “staged.”
The New Year fireworks display at Taipei 101, choreographed by Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang (蔡國強), cost up to NT$60 million, which Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers alleged was split equally between private sponsors and the Taipei City Government.
Despite the huge cost involved and the importance of the event, the city government did not hold a tender until Nov. 12, according to documents presented by DPP lawmakers. A final decision was made almost a month later on Dec. 7.
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said it was unlikely that given the time constraints, Cai had enough time to prepare for the display — unless he had prior knowledge that he would secure the NT$30 million contract.
“Who can, in 20 short days, buy fireworks from overseas, ship them to Taiwan and then conduct engineering, testing and planning” for a world-class fireworks show, Kuan said. “It’s clear that the [decision] was already made before then.”
This is not the first time that questions have been raised on whether Cai, whose works are on display at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, has been receiving special treatment from the government. President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) two daughters work at one of Cai’s companies in the US.
DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) urged the Control Yuan to launch an investigation into the matter. He added that in the end, the “lackluster” fireworks display turned Taiwan into an “international joke.”
Asked for comment, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said that the city government had no role in organizing the fireworks show at Taipei 101, and that it did not sponsor the event.
“We have no comments on the matter because the fireworks display was organized by Taipei 101 and Mr Cai’s team,” he said.
Taipei 101’s management issued a statement saying that the company is an independent operation and that the fireworks bidding process did not involve the city government.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH AND STAFF WRITER
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