Taipei City Hall clashes with legislator over information requests

The Taipei City Government's spokesperson team has responded to legislator Shen Po-yang's call for a standardized procedure for handling information requests from city council members. The government highlighted that Shen himself, along with legislator Chien Shu-pei, ranked highest in the number of information requests submitted over the past year. They suggested that if Shen genuinely wished to ease the burden on civil servants, he should first advocate for reduced information demands from within his own party.

Shen Po-yang, however, maintained that legislators' requests for information are a fundamental right and a necessary part of overseeing city governance. He clarified that his proposal focuses on creating a "standard operating procedure" (SOP) to expedite the organization and delivery of information by city officials, thereby reducing their workload. Shen asserted that delays would only occur if specific information was deliberately withheld or required extensive re-creation.

In a separate but related issue, Shen expressed confusion regarding Mayor Chiang Wan-an's response to a "rejection vote" campaign against legislator Chin Hui-chu, initiated by pro-Kuomintang social media accounts. Chiang had stated his full support for department heads defending policies. Shen commented that while anonymous online campaigns have their own considerations, Chin Hui-chu's point about avoiding a "political mudslinging" election was valid. He suggested that the city government should focus on addressing citizens' concerns directly, as improvements in service would naturally build public trust and benefit Taipei.