Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) defended his ability to manage crises, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) championed his campaign strategy to focus on municipal issues and abandon traditional hard-line rhetoric, at an event on Thursday organized by Taipei City’s Election Commission to present the Taipei mayoral candidates’ campaign platforms.
Su also said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has used inflammatory language to attack him.
“My opponent has consistently used emotional language against me since the beginning of the election campaign. Even the premier and the president were coming at me at campaigning events,” Su said.
As a national leader, Su said, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also doubles as KMT chairman, should refrain from defaming him when campaigning for Hau and instead Ma should focus his attention on how to improve the country’s economy and address the public’s needs.
Ma has been critical of Su in recent campaign activities organized to boost Hau’s support. Ma said Su’s proposal to cancel the garbage bag fee lacked environmental awareness and criticized the former DPP chairman for bragging about the number of participants at DPP campaign rallies.
“Politicians should be more honest and fair. That’s the characteristic Taipei residents like the most,” Ma said during a campaign activity in Neihu (內湖) on Wednesday.
Su said he was trying to change the nation’s culture of negative campaigning by initiating a fresh campaign strategy, urging voters to use their ballots to make their own judgments, thus strengthening Taiwan’s democracy.
Su also used the occasion to attack Hau’s use of aides during his term as mayor, accusing Hau of “arrogance” over his former “gang of four” team of advisers, which included former Taipei deputy mayor Lee Yong-ping (李永萍).
If elected, Su said, he would push the ongoing probe of the corruption scandal surrounding the Xinsheng Overpass renovation project and present a detailed report to the public within a month.
Hau, for his part, used his 30 minute presentation to defend his crisis management skills, citing how he addressed safety issues concerning the Maokong Gondola and the Wenshan-Neihu MRT line, attacking Su over the allegation he received a donation from the NT$1.5 billion (US$4.9 million) bribe former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) received while in office.
Chen, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes related to a land purchase deal and facilitating a financial appointment, has said he would reveal the DPP politicians who took money from him after today’s election.
“Mr Su asked for a NT$20 million advertisement donation when seeking re-election as Taipei County commissioner. I think Taipei residents would be interested to know whether he took other donations from Chen,” Hau said.
Hau also accused Su of indulging Chen’s corruption as a former premier in Chen’s administration and failing to give the necessary support for the development of Taipei City.
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