Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday called on the directors of Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co to promptly elect a new president to prevent damage to the firm’s reputation amid soaring produce prices.
Ko made the comment in response to reporters’ queries when inspecting a long-term care program the Taipei Department of Health has implemented at the Lanzhou housing complex in Datong District (大同).
Asked to clarify a remark he made on Wednesday about the firm having “broken a promise,” Ko said that directors from different backgrounds should put aside their differences and end the infighting that has delayed the election of a new president.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“The company was established to ensure that consumers could buy high-quality produce at reasonable prices. With vegetable prices rising nationwide, [the directors] should waste no time in electing a new president and general manager,” Ko said, adding that he was “very upset” that the company failed to elect a new president on Wednesday.
“I own the company’s premises. I signed you up to run the company on the city government’s behalf, not to engage in an internal power play,” he said.
The firm elected three new directors on Wednesday, but failed to elect a new president, with the Taipei City Government, the Council of Agriculture and the “Chang faction” each securing one seat on the board.
The Chang faction refers to board members affiliated with former Yunlin County commissioner Chang Jung-wei (張榮味) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), who has strong ties with farmers’ associations in central Taiwan that provide produce for the company.
The company’s funding comes from a mix of public and private sources, with the Taipei City Government and the Council of Agriculture together contributing 45.5 percent and the Taiwan Provincial Fruit Marketing Cooperative, farmers’ associations and vegetable growers providing the rest.
As the president, who chairs the board meetings, nominates the firm’s general manager, who directly oversees the company’s operations, Ko and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) had reportedly engineered a plan to remove general manager Hau Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) by helping director Lin Chiu-hui (林秋慧) get elected president.
However, as Ko and the DPP only secured two seats on the seven-member board in Wednesday’s election, Lin’s chances of being elected president are now uncertain.
Asked to respond to Lin’s comment that said if she were elected president, she would not nominate a new general manager and would let Han complete his term, Ko said that it was Lin’s personal opinion.
“My one demand is that the company settle its staffing issues as soon as possible. Do not allow internal politics to affect people’s livelihoods,” Ko said.
Ko said that he would meet with Council of Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) to discuss their strategy regarding the company.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or