Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday said he would today officially announce his plan to run in next year’s Taipei mayoral election.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that Yao is within his rights to run in the election.
“A mayor is the CEO of the city, and whether they have the ability to make the city a better one through their management skills should be the main point of the election,” Yao said on Facebook.
Yao said that he would share his vision for Taipei at the Taipei International Convention Center at 3pm today, and invited anyone who is concerned about Taipei’s future to join him.
Taipei lacks large-scale planning and a vision to keep up with the progress of other advanced cities around the world, he said, adding that he hopes to relocate Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) by 2022 and turn the space into a large central park.
He also plans to promote large-scale, government-led urban renewal projects, he said.
In an event yesterday afternoon to help middle-aged and older people find jobs and promote the city’s policy for narrowing the gender pay gap, Ko said everyone has the right to run in an election and that for him, the only important thing is to do his daily duties properly.
When asked about his thoughts on Yao’s ideal childbirth subsidy policy — subsidizing NT$10,000 per month for parents with a second child, from birth to age five — Ko said: “The standard of social welfare should be the same across the nation. When local governments give out different incentives or subsidies, other cities or counties might have to raise their standards.”
Local governments have different financial situations, so some would have to raise their debt, he said.
“Taipei has a relatively better financial situation, but if the city begins giving out the subsidy, would it be fair to people living in other places?” he added.
In response to Yao’s remark on moving the airport, Ko said that because the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT line is operating and the Wugu-Yangmei Overpass is open, he thinks the airport could now be effectively relocated.
“The problem is whether the central government has the courage to relocate Songshan airport,” he said. “However, that is up to central government to decide, not the Taipei City Government.”
Ko said that because he is running for re-election, he does not have to make any special efforts in campaigning, but should rather focus on doing his daily duties well.
He said he has learned that the government might not know the market and industries well enough, so he has been spending more time visiting business districts and talking to managers to understand what they need from the government.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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