Han under microscope
During questioning by city councilors, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has been repeatedly shown up to be a country bumpkin who is completely out of his depth. Han’s latest endeavor is to turn his ignorance of mayoral politics into a supposed money-making scheme for Kaohsiung’s hapless residents.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Review Committee member Chen Hung-chang (陳宏昌) has claimed that Han spent most of his time playing mahjong, drinking and womanizing and it was later shown that this is not a thing of the past. Han’s true colors have been revealed for all to see.
Kaohsiung Department of Tourism Director Peter Pan (潘恆旭) this month announced that the city will host a national mahjong championship in December, which he claimed would boost the local economy. The announcement was clearly intended as a smokescreen by Han’s campaign team to divert attention away from the embarrassing headlines with the help of Han’s frenzied supporters.
What the public really cares about is the quality of their mayor’s character. Han has claimed that he had not once played mahjong after becoming mayor. Having subsequently been found out through an incriminating photograph of him playing mahjong while on holiday in Bali, Indonesia, he is now trying to reframe the debate away from whether he lied into a defense of playing mahjong.
Han turned around a political career of mediocrity and failure to win the Kaohsiung mayoralty through a series of lies. Having found this modus operandi to be successful, he is now organizing a mahjong championship when he should really organize a “tournament of deceit.”
Perhaps, Han will grace the competition with his presence and teach us the tricks of his trade.
Lin Chun-fa
Taichung
Chang Kuo-tsai (張國財) apparently has ample time since his retirement to construct mind-boggling, over-the-top mudslinging targeting Han Kuo-yu and has cobbled together a remarkably snarky condemnation of him (“Han’s old life coming back to haunt him,” Aug. 22, page 8).
While I am not eligible to vote in the presidential election, I try to stay reasonably informed on the potential leaders of my favorite country, as the outcome of the election will determine the course that Taiwan will embark upon in the future.
We are all human beings — all of us — and our ascent into adulthood and (theoretically) maturity has been a series of “lessons learned.”
So Han played mahjong. So did my wife’s mother and I had the greatest amount of respect for her for all the years that I had the great good fortune to know her.
So Han partook of alcoholic beverages. As I watch the daily news from around the world, I inevitably see portrayed highly respected governmental leaders raising a glass in salute to someone or something.
Let’s take a restrained deep breath and focus our attention on the professional capabilities of each of the candidates who aspires to be the elected leader of Taiwan.
Has he or she shown an ability to take the long view and to inspire others to work in support of measures that will benefit the nation?
Will his or her leadership raise Taiwan’s stature as a progressive world leader to the next well-deserved level?
Finally, let’s try a little moderation in our eagerness to condemn others who aspire to be leaders. The past is the past. Let’s focus on the future.
Kirk Hazlett
Tampa, Florida
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