Controversy over Chiang Wan-an’s son’s publicly funded U.S. exchange deepens

The controversy over Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s eldest son receiving a place in a publicly funded U.S. exchange program has not faded, even after the mayor said he would give up the funding.

Wang Bing-zhong, convenor of the New Party Youth Committee, said Chiang had become too carried away by political promotion and by the “fan-club” style praise directed at him by blue-camp media and supporters. Wang urged the mayor to return his focus to city administration and reduce the public-relations packaging around his family.

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If you really care about Chiang Wan-an, you should remind him at the right time to return to city administration and engage in less of this over-packaged public-relations celebrity show.

Wang said some supporters had praised the mayor and his son as exceptionally talented and tried to shift the discussion toward the idea that the child was being bullied. In his view, that approach deepened ordinary people’s sense of unfairness, particularly among families without wealth or political connections.

He also said the Democratic Progressive Party had deliberately amplified the issue. Wang cited criticism of other politicians’ use of public funds, but argued that Chiang’s son could not simply be barred because he is the mayor’s child if he had applied through the normal process. At the same time, he said the program offers only 25 places and that the family’s wealth, the son’s U.S. nationality and relatives in the United States would inevitably shape public judgment.

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It is impossible for public opinion not to be affected when everyone sees that the applicant is Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s son.

The subsidy varies by household income. Low- and middle-income families can receive NT$700,000, households below a 20 percent tax bracket can receive NT$200,000, and those in the 20 percent or higher bracket can receive NT$75,000. Wang said Chiang’s family would apparently qualify only for the smallest amount, which could still prompt criticism that public money was being claimed by a wealthy household.

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So even funding that is just a drop in the bucket for the Chiang family has to be claimed by Chiang Te-li, pushing out other students on the waiting list?

Wang questioned whether reviewers could remain unaffected after seeing the mayor’s son’s identity, unless the applicant’s identity had been concealed during selection. He also noted that the rules require recipients to obtain a U.S. visa, suggesting the program may have been designed for applicants who do not hold U.S. citizenship. If many recipients are U.S. citizens, he said, the scheme deserves review.

Drawing on his own experience as a student from Taipei’s Wanhua district, Wang described longstanding resentment over elite families receiving praise and advantages. He said Chiang’s highly publicized interview with his son, who said he was not opposed to entering politics, made media scrutiny of the funding application unavoidable. Wang warned that excessive praise could repeat the fate of Han Kuo-yu, who he said was ultimately harmed by over-promotion.

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If they can act properly and do a better job than the Democratic Progressive Party, that may still be a blessing for the people.