Stopping traffic so that political leaders can move around the city unimpeded may seem like a routine privilege for any nation's elite.
But Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
In response, Vice President Annette Lu (
But she denied reports that she is often late for appointments.
Ma said on Friday that he hopes "the three top leaders will go to work on time every day" so that special traffic controls will not take too much of local police time, adding that the controls create traffic jams.
Ma was apparently referring to President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen's staff said that the president often stays late at his office. He usually eats lunch in his office and has take-out food in the evening; therefore, it is incorrect to say that he spends much time commuting, and certainly not during rush hours.
They added that when the president travels outside Taipei, he does not ride in a motorcade so as not to affect local traffic.
The staff said that Ma was "making a fuss out of nothing."
Lu denied allegations by local police that she was late eight out of 10 times wherever she went, saying that such claims were an "exaggeration," and were only attempts to smear her name.
She said that she understands the extra effort police have to make on some special occasions, but that protecting the head of state and the vice president is the natural duty of a nation's security forces.
Yu, while campaigning in Miaoli yesterday, responded by saying that "Ma could learn from President Chen when Chen was Taipei mayor."
Yu said that poor traffic can be attributed to poor implementation of traffic laws, and Ma shouldn't link the traffic situation with other things.
He added that while Chen was Taipei mayor, the traffic was very good, and one premier "who later became the vice president" -- meaning Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus in the Legislative Yuan also said yesterday that Ma was trying to "vilify" the president and vice president and the DPP administration before the year-end legislative elections.
Meanwhile, Ma said yesterday on the sidelines of a stumping trip for a pan-blue candidate, that it is a fact that special traffic controls sometimes last longer than expected, and the public has to wait patiently.
The mayor said that he is not assigning blame, but wants to "remind those responsible in a good-natured way."
Taipei City Police's Traffic Corps deputy commanding officer Chen Shih-hsiung (陳世雄) yesterday said traffic control is for security purposes, but that the assignments have a negative impact on traffic.
According to the corps' statistics, roughly 1,100 traffic police officers carry out 100 traffic control assignments for Chen Shui-bian, Lu, Yu and former president Lee Teng-hui (
The same statistics showed that Chen Shui-bian, Lu and Yu usually take off on time. But Lee is typically at least 30 minutes whenever he heads out.
According to Chen Shih-hsiung, the National Security Bureau normally give the Traffic Corps one day's notice for traffic control assignments. The corps then assigns its local traffic police officers to carry out the job.
"Most people think that issuing tickets or guiding traffic in the streets are our major assignments," Chen Shih-hsiung said. "But honestly, these kinds of [special] traffic control assignments are our primary job ... Most of the city's traffic police officers are basically standing by for traffic control assignments during their working hours."
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