The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its pan-blue ally the New Party used several news conferences yesterday to pledge support for Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and dismiss allegations that relations between Hau’s team and the KMT have been problematic because of his small circle of close aides.
Ten KMT legislators visited Hau in his office in the morning to show their support for the mayor and the Taipei International Flora Expo in November. They accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of spreading rumors that the KMT caucus refused to help Hau amid a controversy over purchases for the Xinsheng Overpass and flora expo projects.
“We have great confidence in Mayor Hau and fully support the expo ... The DPP took extreme measures to attack the mayor, but we believe that Mayor Hau will survive the challenges, and Taipei residents will make the wise choice by voting for him in the election,” KMT Legislator Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said.
The KMT Taipei City Council caucus and the New Party, of which Hau was once a member, used press conferences later in the day to call for pan-blue unity ahead of the Taipei mayoral election in November.
The events came in response to rumors that KMT legislators have been reluctant to follow party instructions and defend Hau’s performance.
Several KMT legislators and city councilors blamed Hau’s poor handling of the controversy on the small number of mayoral aides.
An anonymous KMT official was quoted by the Chinese-language China Times yesterday as describing Hau’s top aides as the “gang of four:” Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Yong-ping (李永萍), commissioner of the Law Regulation Commission Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元), Hau’s campaign office director Chuang Wen-su (莊文思) and Chuang’s wife, Ren Shiao-chi (任孝琦), who is a long-term aide.
However, KMT Taipei City councilors Lin Chin-chang (林晉章) and Dai Hsi-chin (戴錫欽) also challenged the exclusivity of Hau’s inner circle, calling on the mayor not to depend solely on the four aides for advice.
“There’s nothing wrong with having close aides, but it is very dangerous to count on them entirely and refuse other people’s advice,” Lin said.
Hau denied the “gang of four” rumors, saying he respected different departments’ expertise, and always consulted with various experts in the decision-making process.
“The city government will clear all the doubts about the expo before the event and make the expo successful. As for the election, I remain confident that I will claim victory,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lee shrugged off the accusations but promised to establish better communications channels and make it easier for suggestions and advice to be heard.
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