Solve flooding first
Whenever heavy rain pummels the nation, the potential of a flooding disaster always prompts public concern.
A news report on TV of a knee-high flood last month in Changhua County’s Lukang Township (鹿港) attracted an emotional response.
Chiayi has faced similar problems in the past, with the city’s main street, Jhongshan Road, submerged in water. On one occasion water rushed into an underground passage so quickly that the alarm was not activated in time, causing casualties.
Following Chiayi Mayor Twu Shiing-jer’s (涂醒哲) underground sewer renovation project, the city has not been affected by flooding for more than a year.
To prevent floods from occurring is as simple as keeping drainage unobstructed.
However, many politicians only focus on their image, and in the worse cases become shallow “Web celebrities” adept at stirring up media hype.
Twu, by contrast, put on chest-high waders and walked into the drainage system to supervise and review the sewerage dredging project.
When an election is around the corner, candidates propose various policies and share their vision for the future administration, thus appealing to voters’ expectations. This is especially true when it comes to mayoral elections.
However, after the election, few policy platforms are put into practice.
As ordinary people, we do not really care about which party is in power so long as the person elected is competent.
The government should administer its duties with pragmatism and resolve public concern starting by thoroughly removing the silt build-up in drainage systems.
Allowing the public to live without the fear of flooding is the most essential aspect of any administration.
Lin Rui-xia
Chiayi
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