Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) and his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) counterpart, Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), the two frontrunners in the race, clashed yesterday over economic development and personal records during a policy presentation hosted by the Central Election Commission.

Lai said Kaohsiung would have a new decade of prosperity if he were elected mayor, before touting his platform of building a proposed new airport and investing in the technology industry.

If elected, Lai said he would build an “offshore” airport that could operate overnight, unlike the Kaohsiung International Airport, which has a noise curfew, he said.

A composite image shows candidates running for Kaohsiung mayor, from left, Chang Ching of the Justice Reform Party, independent Wang Chao-min, Ko Chih-en of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) independent Hung Fang-lung and Lai Jui-lung of the Democratic Progressive Party.

Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times

Kaohsiung would continue working with semiconductor manufacturers that have opened six fabs for advanced chips, Lai said, adding the city should strive to be a critical part of the global tech supply chains.

The city would seek investment in the form of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and implement the DPP city government’s NT$13.2 billion (US$401.97 million) plan to train a workforce for the AI industry, he said.

Lai said Ko, as a KMT lawmaker, had voted against expanding the city’s central government funding during the legislature’s deliberations on amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法).

Ko’s proposal to relocate city hall to the former site of the 205th Arsenal showed an ignorance of the land acquisition process, he alleged.

The city’s voters have already rejected former KMT Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) “horseracing track and romantic Ferris wheel” approach to urban development, Lai said.

Ko not only kept former members of Han’s city government as her aides, but has also dusted off the former KMT mayor’s Ferris wheel proposal, Lai said.

Kaohsiung, which has embraced semiconductor and AI industries, should not return to Han’s policies, he said.

Lai detailed an infrastructure plan to improve highways, the metro system and subsidies targeting young people, expectant couples and older people.

Ko said that if she is elected, she would focus on building up the economy and developing the city’s districts evenly.

She said she would establish an equal development office within the first month of being elected to boost agrotourism in the city’s east, and cold chains for the fishing industry and coastal culture in the west.

While facilitating the growth of the AI industry, she said the city should not excessively focus on the sector, as the public did not necessarily share in the profits.

Under her leadership, the city government would create a fund to subsidize traditional manufacturing and adopt an air and metro transit plan that benefits manufacturing, she said.

If elected, her city government would distribute childcare coupons for 48 hours a year to families raising children and build 100 parks, in addition to welfare targeting youth and senior citizens, she said.

She added that she would launch an anti-bullying office to deal with inappropriate behavior at schools, workplaces and on the Internet, reject the influence of privilege on politics, and improve the safety of school meals and campuses.

Ko panned her opponent, saying that Lai had inappropriate ties with lobbyists, and did not support the city’s normal residents.

She defended her position in the dispute over tax revenue allocations, saying the central government had addressed Kaohsiung’s funding concerns through its distribution of tax revenues.

Ko added that if Lai remained dissatisfied with the city’s finances, he should take the issue up with the DPP-led central government.

Citing the illegal dumping scandal in Meinong District (美濃) and unsafe land development by a solar farm project in Dashu District (大樹), Ko said voters must reject Lai to ensure an honest government.

Having a turnover in government is essential in banishing the DPP New Trend faction’s corrupt machine politics, she added.

Other candidates at the presentation included the Judicial Reform Party’s Chang Ching (張靜) and independents Wang Chao-min (王肇民) and Hung Fang-lung (洪方隆).

Source: Taipei Times · 台北時報

At a glance

Topic
Politics
Country
🇹🇼 TW
Publisher language
EN
Added to Allnira