Wed, Feb 18, 2015 page3

• INTERVIEW: Taichung Mayor Lin a ‘tailor’ for growing city

  In view of the ‘Ko P Sensation,’ referring to the popularity of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je — whose image goes beyond the nation’s pan-blue and pan-green political divide — Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung described himself as ‘the architect and tailor of [Taichung’s] policies,’ in a recent interview with ‘Liberty Times’ (the sister newspaper of the ‘Taipei Times’) staff reporter Shih Shun-ping, adding that he would blaze his own trail and not copy Ko

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  Liberty Times (LT): After the nine-in-one elections in November last year, the nation’s political scene has seemingly been submerged in the trend that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has set. How do you interpret and react to the “Ko P [Ko’s popular nickname] Sensation”?

  Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍): The “Ko P Sensation” is in effect a “New Politics” movement in Taiwan following the Sunflower movement, in which the nation seeks to address both major parties being unable to sufficiently represent the public’s will, especially of the younger generation. It is said that “life finds its own way,” and what we are seeing is upsurging new social activism seeking to find representation of its will in politics. Ko’s victory, and my own [in the Taichung mayoral election], are a basic representation of the direction for this kind of new politics, one that is backed by a large margin of more than 200,000 votes.

  LT: So you do not feel that Ko poses any stress on you?

  

  Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung presents a Lunar New Year tourism brochure at an event on Sunday.

  Photo: CNA

  Lin: I do not think of Ko as my competitor. In fact, I am very happy to see him challenge the staid and rigid system, to “turn the earth,” if you will, and his actions have caused a spillover effect.

  This is the sort of effect when an atypical political figure is elected into office — an injection of fresh life. Whereas political figures typical dodge the question: “Is the emperor wearing a new suit of clothes?”, Ko would directly respond by saying: “The emperor is not wearing anything at all.” People have felt and approve of the power of honesty.

  However, Ko won his mayoral election in 10 months; I spent a decade in order to get to where I am. The reason behind this is the fundamental difference between Taipei and Taichung.

  

  Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung, center, yesterday attends a ceremony to thank city government employees who are working through the Lunar New Year holidays.

  Photo: CNA

  Taipei is a mature urban center that has been governed by two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayors over the past 16 years; all Ko has to do is to shake up the city government and wait for the loose parts to fall.

  However, different cities and different residents require different methods. I do not think Ko’s methods in Taipei could simply be copied and pasted onto Taichung; where Taipei residents might be amenable to having things done fast and hard, the people of Taichung would have issues with the city government if Taichung were to focus on breaking from the past and [rapidly] removing corruption. I have opted for the middle road, simultaneously breaking from past habits while establishing new ones.

  Where Ko seeks to challenge the system, I am a professional politician. His rise to fame has only made me more determined to walk my own path, and his efforts provide more chances for me to become one of the “era’s choices.”

  LT: What about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)? Does it feel pressure [from Ko], especially with next year’s presidential elections?

  Lin: I have to admit, Ko has indeed put some pressure on the DPP, but whether that would become the basis for a new organization is hard to say from current trends. In my opinion, it would be very difficult.

  It is difficult because Ko’s success is based on his unique personal style and action, but such uniqueness cannot become a style shared by a group of individuals. He has the charisma and the appeal to rally people to him, but without linking up with political parties, his populist style of leadership could limit him to affecting issues only on a personal or thematic level.

  However, everyday political procedures rely on organization to achieve effects. As one who has devoted his entire life to politics and who aspires to be a son of democracy, I personally put more stock in the strength of the organization than in the individual.

  While there are some expectations for Ko next year, it ultimately depends on his personal choice and his endurance on the political scene. As a political party, the DPP has no reason not to nominate one of its own.

  LT: You call yourself “a son of democracy.” What connotations does this appellation hold, compared with others, such as former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who was dubbed a “son of Taiwan?”

  Lin: I have been involved with the democratic movement since my student days; everything I have learned, spoken, done and thought about are inseparable from Taiwan’s democracy. Moreover, I do not want to be separated from it, either.

  My family and my teachers were unable to understand why I devoted myself to student movements. For more than 30 years, I have made fighting for Taiwan’s democracy my vocation, desiring only to have a clear conscience when I look back after handing the baton to the next generation. I did what I should have done to the best of my abilities and lived my life; the rest I leave in the hands of God.

  LT: Some have said that Ko is decisive because of his former career as a surgeon and that Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) is steadfast because he was a general practitioner. You have always been a politician; how does that differentiate you from their styles or methods of action?

  Lin: Emergency-room physicians have to fight with time to pull their patients from the brink of death, resulting in their seeing their patients as a direct extension of the ailments they have. Ko is in essence the primary physician operating on a tumor in a physically healthy man who had been attended to for 16 years by KMT physicians, so everyone is applauding the act.

  Tainan, being a city with history and culture, is like a senior citizen who has aged well, but is in need of gentler medication and care, as can be offered only by a doctor of general medicine.

  Continuing with that analogy, Taichung is like a youth who is just entering a growth spurt; it is not in need of a doctor, but more in need of a designer, a tailor, to custom-design clothing that would fit its needs. I am myself the son of a tailor and have studied politics, specializing in urban planning. I am in the perfect role to offer up-and-coming Taichung the necessary foundation it needs to look toward a prosperous future.

  LT: There is often the shadow of a surgeon’s ingrained belief of adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) in Ko’s method of handling city government affairs. Do you have your own SOP as a designer and tailor?

  Lin: Ko was a doctor and was used to leading in an authoritarian manner and seeking efficiency in all things, thus leading to his belief in the SOP concept. However, politics deals with people, and people have thoughts and feelings; they cannot follow SOP on everything.

  My methodology focuses on establishing a two-way street; the government is not a hospital, after all. I propose that we lead with visionary leadership, service and action. By adopting the servant-as-leader concept, I am telling my team this: The public is the master and we are public servants. Everything depends upon the feelings of Taichung residents. When they complain, we should see that they still have expectations of us; when the day comes that they cease to complain at all, the time has come when they have decided to sweep you out.

  LT: The public believes that you and Lai are the most promising stars of tomorrow for the DPP. From its population and the idea of central Taiwan being a pivotal region in Taiwanese politics, Taichung holds a greater advantage than Tainan. What are your thoughts on a possible future presidency?

  Lin: I joined politics not to compare with or surpass others, but to surpass myself. I do not follow anyone else’s path, but blaze my own. If I cannot make progress, then I at least try not to block the road of others. Since the Sunflower movement last year, I am proud to say that I have not “blocked anyone’s path” and have been searching for my own way. As the son of democracy, I have my own principles.

  If I was aiming for easy, I could have made my stand in Tainan a decade ago, because my wife’s family has great influence in Tainan, apart from Tainan always having a loyal support base for the pan-green camp. However, I have a great sense of duty to the development of Taiwanese democracy, and I deeply believe that Taiwan should progress to the stage where Taichung has made a name for itself.

  In order to see this dream come true, I came to Taichung alone a decade ago to enter local elections. I have never given up despite running into difficulties or losing elections, because I wanted to fulfill the dream of seeing the “Taichung era” come true.

  Comparing politics to basketball, I feel that I am [Taiwanese-American NBA star] Jeremy Lin (林書豪). As Taiwan’s son of democracy, I control the ball and give it to others to score, but if the need arises, I could also make the shot myself.

  Standing in a key position at a critical juncture in the development of Taiwanese history, I cannot say that I absolutely will not do something, because when the time comes for winning, no player should refuse to make the shot that would make the game, because we are playing on the Taiwan team.

  Translated by Jake Chung
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