Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that he respects Chang Wei-shuan’s (張瑋軒) decision not to be on the Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) slate of legislator-at-large nominees.
The Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine on Tuesday reported that Chang — cofounder and chief executive of the women’s lifestyle Web site Womany.net — would be one of the party’s top five female nominees, along with three Taipei City Government officials and Taiwan Institute of Economic Research Biotechnology Industry Study Center director Sun Chih-Li (孫智麗).
Womany’s Facebook page was flooded with negative comments after the magazine was published, many asking why Chang would support Ko, who founded the party, since he has made numerous sexist remarks in public.
Chang on Tuesday night wrote on Facebook that she was just as surprised as everyone to read magazine’s report, adding that while as a child she dreamed of becoming Taipei mayor, she is currently focused on operating Womany Media Group.
“I have no intention of participating in any political election or joining any political party, nor follow any presidential candidate,” she wrote, jokingly adding that if Ko correctly answered 20 questions from her on gender education, she would seriously consider a nomination.
Chang yesterday posted a list of 20 gender-related questions for political leaders on the Web site, and reiterated that she was not a member of any political party and has not agreed to being nominated as a legislator-at-large.
The Web site said that its team does not support any party, but believes that gender is a political issue.
Ko said that politics is for the betterment of society, and that because participating in politics is an individual’s right and choice, he respects Chang’s decision.
Asked how he would cooperate with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) to secure seats in the legislative elections on Jan. 11 next year, Ko said that as he was a surgeon and Gou a businessman, they are skilled in planning in waves as a project proceeds.
Details would become clearer later in the process, he said.
As long as both sides have a tacit understanding and are willing to cooperate, the details of cooperation could be decided according to changing situations, the mayor added.
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