Taipei Mayor Slams Presidential Office Response to Toxic Oil Protest as 'Arrogant'

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an on Tuesday slammed the Presidential Office's response to a protest against toxic cooking oil as "paternalistic" and accused the government of mishandling the crisis. The mayor's remarks came after he joined a protest on Ketagalan Boulevard, a prominent street in front of the Presidential Office, to demand action on food safety issues.

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We cannot accept the Presidential Office's statement that participating city mayors and public officials should return to their posts as soon as possible. This is a 'paternalistic' statement.

Chiang expressed his dissatisfaction with the Presidential Office's statement, which urged participating city mayors and public officials to return to their duties promptly. He described this as a "paternalistic" attitude, asserting that local governments were merely fulfilling their responsibility to protect citizens' food safety. "The people of Taiwan are victims of this toxic oil incident, but the government's handling has been chaotic and authoritarian," Chiang stated.

The mayor thanked Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu for calling on the public to pay attention to food safety, noting his influential role. He also acknowledged the presence of other mayors, including New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih, at the protest, commending their efforts in blocking, recalling, and removing affected products to safeguard public health.

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The people of Taiwan are victims of this toxic oil incident, but the government's handling has been chaotic and authoritarian.

"I want to thank all the Taiwanese people who bravely stood on Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday," Chiang said, highlighting their courage in the face of heat, pressure, and power. He emphasized that the large turnout represented a cross-party, cross-identity call, indicating that people have had enough of an "arrogant and incompetent government."

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I want to thank all the Taiwanese people who bravely stood on Ketagalan Boulevard yesterday. Everyone, regardless of age or identity, has had enough and cannot accept this arrogant and incompetent government.