Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) yesterday raised questions about Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) proposal to set up a Taipei Holding Company, a policy first proposed by Ko’s then-rival Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in 2014.
During a question-and-answer session at the Taipei City Council, Wang cited a resolution made during a recent meeting convened by Ko that showed Ko instructed officials to make plans to establish a holding company.
Quoting Ko, who during his mayoral campaign criticized Lien’s idea of establishing such a company as a “scary” thought that posed the risk of under-the-table dealings between Lien’s family and business partners, Wang lambasted Ko for having proposed a similar idea.
He asked Ko whether he was planning to profit his friends in the business sector by allocating investments using the city government’s coffers.
Ko replied that the Taipei City Government has stakes in 12 firms, and that the holding company was proposed to revitalize city assets in a bid to generate more profits from public infrastructure operated by the companies.
He said the way he named the proposed holding firm was inappropriate and could have caused misunderstanding, and that he had asked Taipei Rapid Transit Corp to increase its revenue to prevent a hike in MRT fare prices.
The Taipei Department of Finance Commissioner Chen Chih-ming (陳志銘) said the city government would be the sole stakeholder in the holding company, as the purpose of the firm would be to manage the city government’s shares, not to buy more shares.
Wang also took issue with some of the resolutions passed during the city policy meetings Ko presided over, saying a review of resolutions passed at 72 such meetings indicated that more than 50 meetings were Ko’s “one-man show.”
Wang also asked Ko whether he is planning to “eliminate” bookstores in the Zhongshan Metro Mall between Zhongshan and Shuanglian MRT stations, and whether he is planning to favor Eslite Group in a public tender for the mall’s operating rights.
Ko dismissed both questions.
As the mall has been deficient since its establishment, its business model is to undergo a slight adjustment, Ko said, adding that officials are still trying to determine the scope of the adjustment.
He said that the operating rights would be auctioned off via a transparent bidding process.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese