Kaohsiung Mayoral Race: Analysis Shows Lai Ruei-long Prioritizes City Development Over Ko Chih-en

An analysis of legislative records suggests a significant difference in how Kaohsiung mayoral candidates Lai Ruei-long and Ko Chih-en have focused on the city during their tenures as legislators.

The analysis, conducted by the Facebook group "Kaohsiung Good Days" using data from the independent media "The Reporter's Observation Station," indicates that Lai Ruei-long of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) directed approximately half of his legislative inquiries and statements towards Kaohsiung's local development. His key concerns included financial distribution, North-South disparities, industrial investment in semiconductors, relocation projects, flood control, transportation, and agricultural development.

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Objectively speaking, about half of Lai Ruei-long's inquiries and statements were classified under Kaohsiung's local development.

In contrast, Ko Chih-en of the Kuomintang (KMT), who served in the legislative session starting in 2024, focused more broadly on national issues. Her legislative agenda primarily centered on education and cultural affairs, with specific attention to the Ministry of Education's operations, cultural preservation, and nuclear energy development. While she also addressed cross-strait relations and university admissions, her direct engagement with Kaohsiung-specific development issues appeared less frequent compared to Lai.

"Kaohsiung Good Days" concluded that based on the quantity and quality of legislative work, Lai Ruei-long demonstrated a substantially greater focus on Kaohsiung's practical development. The group suggested this difference in focus could be a distinguishing factor when considering their suitability for the mayoral position.

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If we compare the quality and quantity of legislative performance and the degree of concern for Kaohsiung's development, the difference in their suitability for mayor should be clearly discernible.