Sun, Feb 15, 2015 page3

• Penghu activist criticizes ‘conservative’ governance

  MONOLITHIC MINDSET: The activist said construction of the Dacang Cultural Park should be halted and a Chinese firm had taken over building a park statue

  • By Sean Lin / Staff reporter
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  Penghu environmental activist Wu Shuang-tse (吳雙澤) yesterday urged Penghu County Commissioner Chen Kuang-fu (陳光復) to change his “conservative mindset” of governance, while raising awareness about a suspected breach in the tender contract between the county government and contractors building the controversial Dacang Cultural Park.

  Last month during a council session, Chen delivered a report on three possible ways to complete the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project: follow the original plan, which would require NT$121 million in addition to a NT$550 million budget earmarked for the project, which the county government still falls short; relocate construction to a port facing Magong and run the facility through a rehabilitate-operate-transfer project, which would cost about NT$550 million; or renegotiate the contract and relocate the site for the park to Baisha Township (白沙), which would cost an additional NT$29 million in addition to liquidated damages.

  The construction project, commenced last year near the end of former Penghu commissioner Wang Chien-fa’s (王乾發) term, came under fire from Penghu residents and environmentalists for bypassing due process — public hearings and an environmental impact assessment — and for the destructive impact the maritime traffic it brings would have on marine ecology in the waters off Dacang Island, an area known as “the greater inland sea,” which is home to dozens of coral species.

  Commenting on the project, Wu, founder of the Penghu Ocean Citizen Alliance and a Dacang resident, called on Chen to suspend construction of the park, because the county government has launched an investigation into suspected illegal activity during construction.

  According to Wu, the tender contract to carry out construction of the park’s centerpiece, a 66m bronze Matsu statue, originally went to three Taiwanese companies.

  However, a construction worker on the project — who Wu declined to name — said the project had been secretly outsourced to Jinhongfu, a Chinese construction company specializing in copper molding, which he said now plays a key role in the project.

  He said that Chen had ruled out the possibility of holding a referendum to gather public opinion on whether to suspend construction due to expenses incurred and the protracted period of time required by such a move.

  He criticized what he said was Chen’s “conservative mindset for administration,” as the heads of both the Penghu County Public Works Department — which is in charge of construction projects — and the Penghu County Finance Department — in charge of planning budgets — were holdovers from Wang’s administration.

  “In this situation, he [Chen] cannot push for reform even if he wanted to. It is as if his head says ‘go ahead,’ but his body cannot follow orders,” Wu said.

  “The commissioner called my office and said that the county government would face a fine if it decides to suspend construction of the park. He also needs to maintain rapport with county councilors to effectively implement policies, but if he continues to be so submissive to the council, I doubt he will achieve anything that makes a difference,” Wu said.

  Democratic Progressive Party Penghu County Councilor Chen Hui-ling (陳慧玲) said that even though Chen launched a survey on the future of Dacang Cultural Park in lieu of a plebiscite, it is unlikely that he would order construction to be suspended.

  “He would shoulder a heavy political responsibility if he suspends construction, because that would mean that all the money that went into the project has gone to waste,” she said.
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