Taipei councilor slams 'huge joke' hunger strike over 'carcinogenic oil'

Several opposition Blue party councilors in Taipei have launched a hunger strike, protesting against what they claim is carcinogenic oil. The protest, staged outside a police station, has drawn sharp criticism from a ruling party councilor, who dismissed it as a "huge joke."

Taipei City Councilor Jian Shu-pei of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stated that councilors' duty is to supervise the city government and improve food safety, not to politicize the issue through hunger strikes. She argued that such actions do not enhance food safety and that genuine progress requires collaboration between national and local authorities. Jian specifically called the hunger strike a political maneuver that the public should reject.

Jian also criticized Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, accusing him of using the food safety issue to boost his political profile for future elections. She pointed to several unresolved city issues, including a controversial 7.74 million NT dollar sunshade project that ballooned to 35 million NT dollars in three months, and inadequate compensation for flood-damaged vehicles in the Neihu district. Jian suggested the mayor is avoiding accountability for these local governance failures by focusing on a national issue.

Chiang Wan-an had previously called for a large rally on July 25th to protest against the alleged "toxic oil." However, Jian contends that the mayor should prioritize addressing Taipei's municipal problems before rallying support nationwide. She believes Chiang's actions show a disregard for Taipei citizens and a pattern of evading scrutiny on his administration's performance.