A publicity stunt by Miaoli City’s Hakka Culture Office could cost its director, Gu Wei-yi (古威儀), his job after it caused an online furor.
At 6am on Sunday, Gu said on the page of Facebook group Expose Commune: “Miaoli is very lame. We should all boycott and condemn Miaoli. If you visit it, you are guaranteed to regret it.”
Gu said it was an attempt at creating clickbait for the Hakka Academy in the city’s Nanshih Borough (南勢).
More than 17,000 people had “liked” Gu’s post two hours after it was published, with other netizens criticizing Gu for his derogatory comments.
Gu’s post was shared on Facebook page Miaoli Events Big and Small, as well as Maioli Mayor Chiu Ping-kuen’s (邱炳坤) official page, with netizens damning the remark and demanding that Gu apologize.
“You can criticize the government, but you cannot insult the people of Miaoli. This behavior is inappropriate for a public servant,” one netizen wrote.
Chiu said that government agencies should not use “negative branding” for public relations purposes.
Gu had been promoted to head the Hakka Culture Office after “doing well” organizing the city’s kite festival, Chiu said.
However, Gu is “relatively junior” at 36 and as a result of his “inexperience” had pulled “a weird one,” Chiu said, adding that a Miaoli City Government meeting would be convened to discuss Gu’s responsibilities.
Gu said he was motivated by a desire to promote the academy and the public’s response “came as a complete surprise.”
The office’s previous attempts to publicize the academy “generated just 8,000 likes,” Gu said.
Gu said that he followed advice from a friend who works at a newspaper to “try flashy hyperbole used by media to generate interest,” and decided to try “negative branding.”
Gu said he is a Hakka and a lover of Hakka culture and that he would like to make a public apology to the city and would accept the punishment decided on by the city government.
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