Taipei Councilor Accuses Legislator of 'Two-Faced' Tactics in Toxic Oil Scandal

Taipei City Councilor Yang Chih-tou has accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Liu Chien-kuo of engaging in a "two-faced" strategy to protect high-ranking officials amidst the ongoing "toxic oil" scandal. The scandal involves soybean salad oil found to be contaminated with benzopyrene, a known carcinogen.

Yang alleges that Liu is orchestrating a "discarding the chariot to save the general" maneuver, attempting to deflect responsibility from Health Minister Shih Chung-liang. During a legislative committee session, Liu reportedly questioned Shih about whether subordinates provided misinformation, a move Yang interprets as an effort to absolve the minister of blame. Yang further pointed out inconsistencies in Liu's questioning, including a misstatement of the number of affected products and a confusion between the implicated company, Chung Lien Oil, and the state-owned CPC Corporation.

The controversy escalated when the opposition bloc, comprising the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislators, passed a censure motion in the Health, Environment, and Welfare Committee. This motion demanded apologies and resignations from Premier Cho Jung-tai, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang, and Food and Drug Administration Director-General Chiang Chih-kang. The DPP legislators reportedly opposed the motion, a stance Yang criticizes as disregarding public opinion and prioritizing party loyalty.

Yang Chih-tou emphasized that food safety is a bipartisan concern and criticized the DPP for appearing to prioritize protecting officials over addressing public anxieties. He argued that such actions would ultimately lead to public rejection, stating that legislators should represent the will of the people rather than party interests. The Food and Drug Administration initially identified 232 affected products, a figure Liu reportedly cited as 348, further fueling Yang's accusations of misinformation and a lack of genuine engagement with the issue.