Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday said that he would run the nation from Kaohsiung if elected president and urged whoever becomes the next president to do the same.
Han during a Kaohsiung City Council meeting said some are concerned that the city’s residents would be upset if he leaves to serve as president, but the problem would be solved if he works from Kaohsiung.
“The problem would not exist at all — all you have to do is change your thinking and Taiwan would be different,” he said.
Photo: Ke You-hao, Taipei Times
If elected president, he would promote a semi-presidential system in which the president could work from Kaohsiung without moving the capital, he said.
While the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan would remain in Taipei, the president could work from Kaohsiung and meet with the premier once a week, he said.
“The premier would be responsible for answering to the legislature, while the president would constantly inspect different regions in the south,” he said.
This could significantly improve Kaohsiung’s economy, bring a sense of pride to its residents and motivate them to contribute more, he said.
Living in Kaohsiung has made him realize that the city has not yet reached its full potential, and he is confident that his plan would transform it into the nation’s richest city, he said.
Kaohsiung residents have made great sacrifices and deserve to be treated better by the rest of Taiwan, he said.
“I sincerely suggest that whoever becomes the next president work from Kaohsiung and adopt this semi-presidential system,” he added.
Later yesterday, Han told a news conference that a comic studio expressed interest in creating a story based on him, but it was not Marvel.
Han on Monday evening said in an interview with Eastern Broadcasting Co that Marvel wants to publish a story based on him.
A company representative had visited him and offered a portrait of him wearing the Republic of China flag in front of Kaohsiung’s 85 Sky Tower, he said.
“They were impressed that I returned to politics after more than a decade away from the scene,” he said. “It would be mostly about my struggle, as they do not want it to be too political.”
However, information provided by the city government showed that the studio was Allegiance Arts & Entertainment (AAE), not Marvel, prompting many to question Han’s earlier statement.
“I was unaware of whether the studio works with Marvel horizontally or vertically, because they have a lot of overlapping projects, including Spider-Man, Batman and the Hulk,” he told reporters yesterday.
The studio had decided to approach him on its own, he said, adding that he hopes people would not think he was bragging.
If AAE publishes comic books about him, all the profits would be donated to the city, he added.
AAE founder and managing partner David Martin said that the firm specializes in developing and acquiring character-based intellectual property and has artists who have worked with Marvel.
“The message behind each of our stories is to awaken the hero within,” he said.
Han’s story would convey the message that an ordinary person can be called upon to do something extraordinary, Martin added.
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