Facing a challenge from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers urging the party to nominate its own candidate for next year’s Taipei mayoral election, independent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he was only raising questions about what he saw as problematic issues.
Ko has been publicly criticizing the DPP government, despite his alliance with the party, leading to calls from some DPP lawmakers to end the party’s cooperation with the mayor.
“When I see a problem, I raise my hand and that is all there is to it. Of course, it would be wrong if I randomly criticize or tell lies, but I was only raising questions,” Ko said in response to media queries about some DPP members expressing the hope that he would stop criticizing the DPP government.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Regarding some DPP members’ criticism that Ko often spoke ill of the central government in public, rather than discuss the matters in private, Ko said: “If only there were private channels I could speak to.”
He said politics has its diversity and it is normal for people to argue over different opinions, and while everyone can freely express their opinions, he is surprised that some DDP members urged the party headquarters not to support him.
Asked if he feels pressure from such proposals, Ko said: “I feel pressure every day and even feel pressure when I breathe, but I still have to get on with my life.”
DPP Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) has said the party’s legislators and city councilors have signed a petition urging the party to nominate its own candidate and told a radio interview that Ko stopped his criticisms after learning about the petition.
Ko yesterday responded by saying that “tough talk” is useless and should stop.
He said he knew Cheng and had prepared to attend his campaign rally when Cheng ran in the primary election for Taoyuan county commissioner.
“Is this not what happens all the time in politics?” Ko said when asked if he thought Cheng was “repaying the kindness with ingratitude.”
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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