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Taipei flooding fuels New Taipei election battle; candidate Lee Ssu-chuan faces criticism

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Flooding in Taipei has become a focal point in the New Taipei mayoral election campaign, with criticism directed at candidate Lee Ssu-chuan.
  • Lee's campaign has been accused of misrepresenting flood control standards and budget allocations.
  • The opposition argues that Lee's stance against a fiscal reform bill hinders New Taipei's budget and flood control funding.

Recent flooding in Taipei's Neihu District has ignited a political firestorm, becoming a central issue in the New Taipei mayoral election campaign and drawing criticism towards the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Lee Ssu-chuan. Lee, a former Taipei deputy mayor, has faced accusations that his public image as a competent engineer is being undermined by the city's waterlogged streets.

Lee's campaign has been accused by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Su Chiao-hui's camp of shifting narratives regarding flood control standards. Initially, Lee claimed an improved drainage standard of 88mm per hour for Taipei's urban areas, a figure he later revised to a "five-year plan" and then to a "5 to 10-year plan" after the Neihu flooding. Su's campaign spokesperson, Liu Fang-yu, criticized these changing statements as an attempt to cover up Lee's alleged false promises.

The KMT is distorting the facts again. The DPP has opposed the division of the "total" budget from the beginning, causing the current year's central government budget to be stuck in the Legislative Yuan and not yet passed, setting the longest delay record in constitutional history.

— Liu Fang-yuSpokesperson for Su Chiao-hui's campaign, responding to accusations about the DPP's stance on budgets and flood control.

Adding to the political friction, the KMT-controlled New Taipei City Council is counter-attacking, accusing Su of obstructing crucial funding for the city. Council whip Chen Yi-chun stated that New Taipei has the lowest per capita budget among Taiwan's six special municipalities. She argued that Su's opposition to the "Fiscal Revenue and Expenditure Allocation Act" amendment, which could increase New Taipei's annual budget by NT$37.4 billion (approximately $1.15 billion USD), and her alleged opposition to the advance allocation of NT$14.7 billion (approximately $450 million USD) for flood control projects, are detrimental to the city's development and resilience against extreme weather.

New Taipei's per capita budget has been the lowest among the six special municipalities for years, which is why we, as the opposition, want to amend the Fiscal Revenue and Expenditure Allocation Act. But Su Chiao-hui, following the DPP legislators, opposes the amendment and blocks New Taipei from increasing its budget. She also claims to envy Taipei's flood control budget. When will Su Chiao-hui apologize for blocking New Taipei's budget increase?

— Chen Yi-chunKMT New Taipei City Councilor, criticizing Su Chiao-hui's opposition to fiscal reform and its impact on the city's budget.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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