Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday accused the Taipei City Government of violating administrative neutrality after it only invited Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to take part in the Taipei Hakka Yimin Festival.
“It’s not just the city government that’s one-sided, the entire government is one-sided and this is not the first time that such an incident has occurred,” Ko said while taking part in the Hakka event. “It’s actually not that surprising, during a transitional period before a nation becomes a completely modern and civilized state, the executive, the judiciary and the legislative branches of the government are one-sided — this is why we need to stand up and push for reforms.”
“This is an election in which the candidates do not have an equal amount of resources, but it doesn’t matter, my goal is to do my best with whatever I have to gain support from voters,” Ko said.
Photo: CNA
Ko made the remarks because, while both participated in a parade at the festival, Lien walked alongside Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and was introduced by the host, while Ko walked at the very back of the parade and was asked by the organizers to keep his distance.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Tung Chung-yen (童仲彥) said that Lien has been personally invited by Hau, a member of the KMT.
DPP Councilor Chang Mao-nan (張茂楠) agreed, saying that Hau was the one who had invited Lien to the event.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
However, the Taipei City Government denied that it invited any candidate to the event.
“The city government did not invite any candidate to the event, all the candidates attending the event were there at their own behest,” city government spokesperson Chang Chi-chiang (張其強) said.
Lien’s campaign spokesperson Chen Hsiao-ching (陳曉卿) echoed Chang Chi-chiang, saying that Lien was invited by KMT Taipei City Councilor Wu Chih-kang (吳志剛) to attend the parade.
However, both Chang Chi-chiang and Chen did not address why Lien was allowed to walk with Hau, while Ko was asked to keep his distance.
In other developments, the campaign teams of Ko and Lien have been negotiating on details of a televised debate in the run-up to the Nov. 29 election.
Ko yesterday revealed that a tentative date has been agreed upon by both camps to have it held on Nov. 7, adding that he has been rehearsing with political commentators.
Additional reporting by Tu Chu-min
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