The downside to the nation’s electoral system is the limit it sets on the terms a government official is allowed to serve, which hinders long-term policymaking, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
Ko was responding to questions by reporters about the city government’s funding of the “2050 Vision Platform” aimed at fine-tuning the city’s urban renewal projects until 2050, which, according to New Party Taipei City Councilor Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯), would cost the city government NT$15 million (US$456,620) over the next two years.
Since the platform is to be financed by the city government, Chen on Wednesday asked officials of the Taipei Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics why the city government had not proposed a budget for the platform.
He added that as the funds do not need to be approved by the city council, the capital used for the project could evade city councilors’ scrutiny.
Speaking in defense of the project, Ko referred to a report on how city funding is spent and how such reports are submitted to the city council.
The funds would still be subject to the council’s scrutiny, he added.
“So long as an expenditure is monitored, does it matter which category it is listed under?” he said.
Asked to comment on criticism about the long timeframe set for the platform’s operation, Ko said: “To date, the government has not learned to plan ahead. I think that setting a cap on the number of terms government officials has had a damaging effect on Taiwanese politics, in that no one is willing to make long-term plans.”
“As a result, politicians in their first term start scheming for their second term and then move on to their next career plan. Very few people think in terms of 30 or 40 years,” he said.
Ko said that municipal policies during the Japanese colonial era were much more comprehensive and sustainable — unlike regional policymaking today.
“I think it is something Taiwanese politicians should reflect and work on,” he said.
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