Thu, Oct 25, 2001 page3

• DPP, opposition alliance face off in Taipei

  On Dec. 1, the nation will elect new lawmakers, county commissioners and city mayors. Taipei County, the country's largest constituency, has drawn extensive public attention despite the two major opposition parties, the KMT and People First Party, bowing out of the race. During recent, separate interviews with staff reporter Crystal Hsu, incumbent commissioner Su Tseng-chang of the DPP and opposition alliance candidate Wang Chien-shien explained how they plan to win their campaigns

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  'Let statistics speak for themselves'

  Taipei Times: What are your achievements in the last four years that may help you win re-election as Taipei County commissioner?

  

  Taipei County Commissioner Su Tseng-chang, right, attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new thoroughfare in Taishan township in Taipei County yesterday.

  PHOTO: CHANG LI-KE, TAIPEI TIMES

  Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌): Let statistics speak for themselves. There are 1,008 communities in the county, which is the biggest of all. Before I took control of the county government in late 1997, many of my constituents couldn't even afford to drain their ditches.

  

  Taipei County commissioner candidate Wang Chien-shien gets a taste of stinky tofu during a campaign appearance in Shenkeng township in Taipei County yesterday.

  PHOTO: HSIEH TUNG-MING, TAIPEI TIMES

  In the last four years, we established 22 new schools and refurbished 4,500 classrooms. We added 300 classes to public kindergartens and provided day care for 9,000 preschoolers. Since 1998, all grade schools have introduced computer courses to their curricula, with the help of the county government.

  In addition, we opened over 300 classes for the continued education of senior citizens, so they don't have to stay home and feel bored.

  We've built a ceramics museum and plan to establish another museum for metal artifacts.

  Over the last decade, car accidents killed an average of 280 people in the county annually. One year after I assumed office, the number plunged to 135.

  We succeeded in bringing the number down to 117 in 1999 and 112 last year. The declining casualties mean fewer broken families.

  Many main streets used to be littered with ads, garbage and discarded appliances. With a well-planned green campaign, you can now find trees in their place instead. Thus, I pride myself on providing residents with a cleaner living environment.

  TT: What else do you plan to do if you are re-elected on Dec. 1?

  Su: The things that can be done are too many to be itemized for a county so big. With a population of 3.6 million, the county is larger than 66 of the world's nations. Some counties and cities, such as Keelung, Ilan and Penghu, have populations of less than 600,000.

  The last four years are only a beginning of a much more ambitious undertaking. We will seek to improve traffic flow, build more schools, beef up law and order and go ahead with public construction projects aimed at enhancing living standards in the county.

  We have won the bid to host the 2003 National Games and the construction of a new stadium is expected to be completed in February of next year.

  TT: Despite the record, are you, as a standard-bearer for the DPP, afraid of falling victim to growing public discontent over the economic slowdown and rising unemployment?

  Su: Very much so. The county, home to several industrial parks, has borne the brunt of an exodus of labor-intensive factories. A sizable number of people in the county can't find work. The county alone can't solve the problem, which will involve inter-ministerial efforts on the part of the central government. But we have taken every opportunity to offer assistance.

  We have set up an investment task force and turn idle industrial tracts into commercial zones in the hope of attracting large-scale investment projects. We have approved 19 projects with a total capitalization of NT$17.6 billion. They will create a significant number of employment opportunities, I believe.

  In addition, we have organized several job fairs and found employment for more than 20,000 people. In the wake of the recent typhoons, the central government has provided 10,000 temporary job opportunities, and we were able to secure 3,000 of them for the county's residents.

  Still, it is painful to be unemployed and some may take it out on me. It will be a shame if I am voted down this way because changing a commissioner will not turn the economy around.

  TT: How are your ties with the KMT and the People First Party and what will you do to win over their supporters, considering the fact that the DPP usually draws only 30 percent of vote?

  Su: Unlike legislators, a local administrator should stay above the partisan and ideological debate. For the past four years, I've administered the 29 townships and villages of the county, guided by this principle. Days ago, two-thirds of the county's councilors attended the opening ceremony of my campaign headquarters. Over two-thirds of the town and village chiefs also took part in the event. Some of them were from the KMT, the PFP and the New Party and publicly urged their supporters to vote for me. In fact, a few of them are on my campaign staff. Hopefully, my hard work will prove worthwhile on election day.

  TT: Would you discuss your strengths and weaknesses in regard to Wang Chien-shien (王建火宣), the rival candidate jointly endorsed by the three opposition parties?

  Su: Mr. Wang is talented, knowledgeable and eloquent. Since entering the race, he has drawn extensive media attention. Unfortunately, he is not at all familiar with the county. This weakness will make it difficult for him to steer the county and residents may suffer from his lack of experience if he were elected.

  By contrast, my re-election will benefit residents, as I have administrative credentials that no one else can match. Besides being an incumbent, I have worked as the Pingtung [county] commissioner, a lawmaker representing Taipei County and was a two-term provincial assemblyman. Those posts all helped strengthen my understanding of local politics. Four years into my term, I am quite familiar with the county's geography, people, and the things that concern them. The county, like a train, is poised to move full speed ahead after being put on the right track. I frequently liken myself to a foreman, whose primary responsibility is to lead the administrative crew and serve the people. I believe we are doing a good job thus far.

  TT: Despite high approval ratings, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) lost his re-election bid as Taipei City mayor in 1998 due to a successful integration of the opposition camps. Are you afraid history may repeat itself in your case?

  Su: Surely, that scenario worries me. It will be a shame if people overlook my hard work and base their voting decisions solely on partisan concerns. We are all taught to encourage the industrious. I sincerely hope the voters will recognize our diligence by giving us another four-year term.

  TT: Will you consider joining the Cabinet that is due for a reshuffle after the year-end polls?

  Su: Don't be silly. I'm trying so hard to win a second term. If I succeed, I will certainly finish my four-year stint. I am not concerned with Cabinet changes. I'm content with what I am doing.

  TT: Which role do you like playing most -- a lawyer, a provincial assemblyman, a legislator or a commissioner?

  Su: I have enjoyed them all. Whatever I do, I do it whole-heartedly. I'm also a good father and a considerate husband. If time allows, I would like to spend more time with my mother, my wife and my daughters and enjoy life. The quality of a commissioner's life is poor. I work more than 10 hours each day. Look, I have been wearing this weight-lifting belt for weeks to protect my waist, stressed by a jam-packed daily itinerary.

  Taipei Times: What's the main theme of your campaign?

  Wang Chien-shien: I'm mounting a different kind of campaign. Most politicians like to coin fancy slogans but I find that practice stale. If I must sum up my campaign with one phrase, I would say I want to give residents of Taipei County a better life.

  It's that aspiration that has prompted me to enter the ring. My campaign will revolve around this theme in the lead-up to the polls on Dec. 1.

  TT: How will you convince the residents of Taipei County to vote for you?

  Wang: To give Taipei County a better life, the would-be commissioner must be a man of competence and vision. I consider the former attribute more important than the latter, as candidates can always get scholars and experts to write position papers on their behalf.

  What is the use of churning out one position paper after another if [the papers' ideas] stand no chance of being implemented in an effective manner later? We are not having a thesis contest, are we?

  To judge candidates, it is also important to examine their character -- whether they are loving, upright, resolute, down-to-earth and so on.

  But being a nice, decent person is not enough. We also have to look at their past working experience. While working as a finance minister, many called me a workaholic, working from dawn till night.

  'A different kind of campaign'

  TT: You never deny your distaste for politics. What made you seek election to office?

  Wang: I assure you that running in an election is no fun at all. When a nation is faced with crises, people tend to react in two ways. The cynics and those who are apathetic choose to stay on the sidelines or emigrate to other countries. The idealists put on a more positive attitude and try to turn the situation around the best they can.

  I belong to the latter group. Instead of sitting around grumbling, I decided to come forward and do something. I do hate politics, but it provides an important avenue through which I can help reform society.

  TT: What do you think are the most urgent reforms for Taipei County?

  Wang: Everything and everywhere. The public has been wrong in thinking that incumbent commissioner Su Tseng-chang is doing a good job. Former DPP chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德) recently said that the nation has no president but rather has a presidential candidate [criticizing President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) as spending most of his time on petty issues].

  Likewise, I want to point out that over the last four years, the county has not had a commissioner but rather a commissioner candidate. Everything that Su has done has been calculated to boost his re-election bid. He lavished large amounts of funds on trivial activities that provide residents with photo opportunities and take-home souvenirs. He would have the pictures framed and delivered to their houses.

  Surely, residents like the small treats. Unfortunately, those events and treats cannot improve their life one bit. The traffic remains congested, the air remains polluted and schools remain prone to flooding in the wake of heavy rains.

  TT: How much money will the campaign cost you?

  Wang: I don't have an accurate figure right now. I guess the campaign will cost tens of millions of NT dollars.

  In the past, one contender spent NT$4 billion and the other NT$400 million in their quests to win office. The New Party, strapped for cash, cannot give me a dime. I didn't ask for any money from the party anyway, knowing it needs to focus its resources on the legislative race.

  I will not follow conventional wisdom and put up an aggressive and expensive campaign. KMT lawmaker Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉), who earlier bowed out of the commissioner's race, has loaned me his campaign headquarters in Panchiao. That will be the only office I have for the election.

  So far, I have raised a little more than NT$400,000 and have no intention of holding fund-raising dinners. Though some have pledged to help, the money has yet to come in. If I raise more than necessary, I will give the extra money to charities.

  As before, I plan to get my message across to voters by placing ads in the print media. That way, I can save the costs of campaign pamphlets, flyers, brochures and so forth, as they are less effective in a large constituency. I plan to hold only one large rally on the eve of election day.

  TT: Will KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) stump for you in the run-up to the polls?

  Wang: I hope so. Both have expressed warm wishes for my bid and both parties have promised to help. The intensity of their goodwill remains to be seen, as I have not yet held any large rallies.

  All three parties -- the KMT, the PFP and the New Party -- gave me their recommendation letters when I registered my candidacy on Oct. 10. I put the names of all three parties in the blank for party affiliations, which was in itself historically significant.

  If I win the election, it will be a victory for all three parties.

  TT: How will you staff your county government, if elected?

  Wang: I will tap talent from all parties, including the DPP. Merit will serve as the primary yardstick. I don't mind retaining DPP holdovers if they are able and upright. However, I will save the matter for the future and give top priority to winning the race for the time being.

  TT: Would you speculate on your prospects for winning the election?

  Wang: The situation looks pretty good. The other day I paid a visit to Yungho where throngs of residents vied to get my autograph or have their photo taken with me. A KMT official accompanying me on the tour said he had never seen such a passionate crowd when canvassing for KMT candidates in the past.

  On Oct. 9, I began a countywide tour. In DPP strongholds such as Sanchung, Luchou, Hsinchuang and Wukoo, receptions are less enthusiastic though.

  TT: What will you do if you lose the election?

  Wang: There are plenty of things I can do. I will return to charity work. Unlike most politicians, I don't have such heavy stakes in the elections. Rivals may charge me for not being a serious candidate. But that's not true. I'm just one of the very few who refuse to partake in the vulgar election culture.
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