Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City councilors yesterday lauded what they described as “progress” in Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) oral policy performance report, after having said an earlier written version lacked substance.
“The report is already more concrete and complete than the draft provided last week,” Taipei City Council DPP caucus whip Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said.
She said the event was meant to serve as a “warmup” for Ko before facing questions from the full city council next week, adding that the mayor earned an “A-” for his efforts.
She also reiterated that while the party is amenable to cooperate with the city government on policies, the DPP would not serve as Ko’s “cheerleading squad.”
Prior to Ko’s report, DPP Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) set the meeting’s tone by posting a sign calling for the “free airing of views” — an explicit reference to a sign calling for a “room of harmony” (一堂和氣) that is posted in the heart of the city government’s mayoral office suite.
“This is the DPP caucus — not a city government meeting,” Wang said. “Do not try to bring your rules to the city council; we make our own rules.”
Ko’s presentation laid out a broad range of policies aimed at improving efficiency, increasing civic participation and fostering economic development — from demolishing illegal constructions and implementing new fees for YouBike rentals to the establishment of a Clean Government Committee.
New content set Ko’s report apart from a paper version that was submitted to city councilors last week. The paper report was criticized for failing to mention substantial new policies distinguishing Ko from the administration of former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌).
The Taipei City Council Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus Secretary-General Chen Yung-te (陳永德) said that while Ko would be invited to greet party members when next week’s council session opens, the caucus felt it unnecessary to hear the mayor’s policy performance report early.
Separately, Ko confirmed reports that he would invite former Taoyuan county commissioner John Wu (吳志揚) of the KMT to serve as a city government consultant.
“Whether Taipei should establish its own professional baseball team is something that deserves consideration — so there is a role [Wu] can play,” Ko said.
After losing his re-election bid last year, Wu has taken a new position as president of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
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