Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday urged Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻), a member of the DPP, to “return to the party” by leaving his post alongside Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), an independent seeking re-election.
Chen should “abandon the darkness and come back into the light,” said Yao, who has announced his desire to run for Taipei mayor.
Chen should declare anything illegal that Ko might have done so that he could be brought to justice, he added.
Yao made the remarks following a radio interview with Chen on Friday, in which Chen said that Ko’s private meeting with the company commissioned to organize the Taipei Lantern Festival was inappropriate, because the lack of transparency could trigger rumors.
Chen was appointed by Ko to oversee preparations for the festival, which is scheduled to begin on Feb. 24, after Chien Yu-yen’s (簡余晏) sudden resignation last month from her post as commissioner of the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism.
Assisting fundraising is against the administrative system, Chen said in the interview, adding that the mayor should provide a proper leadership model.
Chen’s remarks led Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate hopeful Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) to write on Facebook that “Ko’s under-the-table [operation] has been confirmed by the deputy mayor,” adding that it was “an internal conflict” in the city government.
The city’s Media Affairs Division has room for improvement in how it clarifies rumors, Chen said in a statement on Friday afternoon, adding that he had spoken with Ko about the issues raised in the interview.
Chen said he thinks the DPP should continue to cooperate with Ko to win the mayoral election on Nov. 24.
Ko has not helped the Lantern Festival company raise funds, Chen said yesterday, adding that he hopes DPP members or KMT aspirants in this year’s elections would stop manipulating his remarks for political gain.
Chen said that he has respect for Yao, but that Yao’s remarks would not cause him to end his working relationship with Ko.
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