The new heads of four Taipei City Government agencies were sworn in yesterday, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) expressing hope that the new officials would bring stability and harmony to his team.
“I hope that after this reshuffle, the entire city government can move forward steadily,” Ko said at the ceremony.
“There are bound to be differing opinions when pushing city policies. However, instead of fearing friction, a mechanism for resolving friction must be established,” Ko said, encouraging the newly appointed officials to raise any issues they encounter while performing their duties.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
“Hopefully, the inauguration of the four agency heads will inject a breath of fresh air into the city government and provide it with new momentum,” he said.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Chung Yung-feng (鍾永豐) previously served on the Executive Yuan’s Hakka Affairs Council, in the Tainan City Government and in the Chiayi County Government, where he was director-general of the culture bureau for six years, Ko said.
“In addition, he has won two Golden Melody Awards for best songwriting,” Ko said, adding that he hopes Chung will help promote cultural diversity in Taipei.
Taipei Department of Legal Affairs Commissioner Yuan Hsiu-hui (袁秀慧) is not only an expert in legal affairs, but also has a good understanding of public affairs, having served as standing director of the Taipei Awakening Association, director of the National Alliance of Taiwan Women’s Associations and a member of the Taipei Clean Government Committee, Ko said, adding that Yuan is one of the city’s legal consultants for the embattled Taipei Dome build-operate-transfer project.
Yuan represented Ko in the MG149 account case, in which former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) sued Ko during the 2014 Taipei mayoral election over embezzlement accusations during Ko’s tenure as the director of National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Traumatology.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office in June dropped the case against Ko due to insufficient evidence.
Taipei Hakka Affairs Commission Chairperson Ceng Nian-you (曾年有), like Chung, is an expert on Hakka culture, and also served as a Hakka Affairs Council member, which will help him make a smooth transition into his new post, Ko said.
Taipei Department of Education Commissioner Tseng Tsan-chin (曾燦金) is a tenured official at the agency, having worked there for almost 30 years, Ko said, adding that Tseng’s experience would prove valuable in pushing education policies.
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