Many Taipei residents do not think that Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) government has achieved significant results, according to an opinion poll released yesterday by the Taipei Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.
The poll found that 43.6 percent of the city’s residents think the city government led by Ko did not accomplish significant results.
The commission’s opinion polls conducted in November and last month showed that city actions that have left the greatest impression on residents were the Taipei Summer Universiade, the demolition of the Zhongxiao Bridge (忠孝橋) ramp, the renovation of North Gate and the removal of an exclusive bus lane on Zhongxiao W Road in front of the Taipei Railway Station.
Other policies enacted under Ko’s administration, such as a ban on disposable food containers and utensils, participatory budgeting, the CooC-Cloud service (an online education database), the Stone Soup Project (welfare services for senior residents), and the Garden City Project, did not leave much impression on residents’ minds.
“The result actually meets my consistent political philosophy — I am against ‘highlight politics’ and believe that politics should be implemented in a way that affects people’s daily lives,” Ko said.
He hopes that achievements made by his government would be similar to his experiences as a surgeon at National Taiwan University Hospital, namely making small changes and improvements every day, that would accumulate to achieve significant results over the long term, Ko said.
“My ideal politics is to improve a little every day, with everyone moving forward at the same time. I hope to avoid big conflicts or intense emotions, so the nation can progress steadily,” Ko said.
In related news, Ko was asked if he had ordered the police to forcibly remove New Power Party (NPP) members who had been on hunger strike against proposed amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) on the sidewalk in front of the Presidential Office Building since Friday.
“Holding a protest is the people’s right and the city government respects that, but protestors should conform to the law by applying to hold a protest in advance,” he said.
Ko said the city had a tolerant attitude toward the protest, as it was associated with politics.
However, when a protest affects the public interest or public safety, the government must deal with it, so he had instructed the Taipei Police Department Commissioner to restore traffic flow by 7am, Ko said.
“If the protestors had left the area before 7am, then the matter would have settled peacefully, but police had to deal with the situation at the given time,” Ko said, adding that causing people who are going to work or school get stuck in traffic because of a protest would not be tolerated.
Ko also rejected the criticism that he was friendlier toward NPP protestors than labor rights groups, as he ordered the NPP members’ dispersal after three days and had those who were hurt be taken to hospital.
Police made the decision to how to enforce his order according to their experience, Ko said, adding that because he is a practical person, he ordered the police to disperse the labor rights protestors immediately because they had been moving about and lying on the road to paralyze the traffic, but the NPP members only sat on the sidewalk, so the city government was more tolerant toward them.
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