Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma yesterday again went to the Taipei City Council to make a special report on the successive floods in Sanchung City and Taipei City.
PHOTO: CNA
City councilors, however, became enraged when they saw that Ma had altered the title of the special report drawn up by the councilors from four political parties, without their authorization.
Ma modified the title from "A review and measures for the flooding in Taipei City on Sept. 11 and flooding in Sanchung City" to "A review and improvements regarding the flooding caused by super-heavy torrential rain in Taipei City on Sept. 11 and the flooding caused by Typhoon Aere on Aug. 25 in Sanchung City."
Councilors saw the change as indicating a lack of respect for the council and an attempt to shift responsibility for the flooding onto the inclement weather, rather than the city's lack of preparation.
"Ma not only delayed handing in the special report but also presumed to change the title, which once again shows [his] contempt for the city council," said Chou Po-ya (
New Party Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) said that the wording "super-heavy torrential rain" revealed Ma's intention to dodge his and the city government's responsibilities for the continuous floods, which resulted in severe financial losses for those whose properties were submerged.
"Ma's administrative team has gone from bad to worse and has disappointed the citizens," Lee said.
People First Party (PFP) City Councilor Wang Chih-bing (
The session became chaotic at one point, as councilors from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) tried to stop PFP councilors from questioning Ma.
Taipei City Council Speaker Wu Bi-chu (吳碧珠) also expressed disapproval of Ma's behavior, saying it was not the first time Ma had changed the designated title of a council report without authorization.
The titles of a special report on the quarantine of Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital during the SARS outbreak last spring and a report on corrupt MRT officials from January were also altered by Ma, Wu said.
Ma said he had changed the report title to "present facts," but that he did not mean to shun his responsibilities or challenge the city council.
Ma also said that the term "super-heavy torrential rain" was a new category created by the Central Weather Bureau and was not invented by him.
Ma said he would consult the council before changing a report title in the future.
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