The four candidates running for Kaohsiung mayor outlined their policies for the city in a live TV broadcast on Saturday.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) of the Democratic Progressive Party pledged to make Kaohsiung a “high-tech city,” while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) vowed to push policies to stem an “exodus of working-age people.”
Ko said that if elected, she would introduce policies that would help Kaohsiung transition into a “hybrid industrial, commercial and service-oriented port city” that would offer jobseekers more options and motivate people to remain there.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
She proposed a policy called “three highs, one low,” seeking to create “high-pay, high-tech and high-added-value” job opportunities and lower pollution levels.
Chen accused Ko of distorting the facts, saying the city’s shrinking population was caused by Taiwan’s falling birthrate, adding that the trend affected Taipei and New Taipei City more than Kaohsiung.
Chen said that if re-elected, his administration would complete a “semiconductor corridor” in the city and build a technology park for 5G and Internet of Things innovation in the Asia New Bay Area business district, which he said would encourage more technology companies to set up headquarters in Koahsiung.
Independent candidate Cheng Yu-hsiang (鄭宇翔) said that if elected, he would honor former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and practice the teachings of Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) by “starting a revolution” and making Kaohsiung a “base for the fight to reclaim mainland China.”
Independent candidate Tseng Ying-lee (曾尹儷), vowed to end what he called a long-standing feud between political parties and push for systemic reform to encourage greater participation in politics by ordinary citizens like herself.
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