Taiwan mayoral candidate accuses rival of falsely claiming credit for MRT project

New Taipei City mayoral candidate Lee Chuan-chiao has accused his opponent, Su Chiao-hui, of taking undue credit for the Sanying Line MRT project. Lee, representing the KMT, alleges that Su is attempting to claim credit for a project whose funding was secured long before her involvement.

Lee's running mate, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu Ho-jan, directly challenged Su, asking, "What does the Sanying Line have to do with you?" Liu pointed out that the central government approved the project's budget of NT$50.5 billion in 2015, with NT$50.2 billion ultimately allocated. He stressed that these funds were approved whether through general public budgets or the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, asserting that Su's claims of securing the funding are inaccurate.

Lee echoed Liu's sentiments, stating that Liu was speaking the truth. He explained that the Sanying Line's subsidies were fully approved before Su served as a legislator. Lee emphasized that these subsidies were central government commitments to local areas, meaning the budget was already set regardless of whether it was categorized under public or forward-looking budgets. Therefore, no additional funds were provided to the New Taipei City government due to Su's actions.

Lee further stated that Liu's main point was to ensure that the hard work of frontline engineering personnel and city government colleagues involved in the Sanying Line MRT project is not overlooked. When asked about potentially inviting prominent party figures to chair his campaign, Lee asserted that his "big names" are the 4.04 million citizens of New Taipei City. He pledged to visit all 29 administrative districts to understand their needs and address their issues.