Shen Po-yang: Proposals Are Citizens' Voices, City Government's Response Not a Model for Progress

(Central News Agency reporter Liu Jianbang, Taipei, 10th) DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Po-yang said today that his proposals represent the voices of citizens and grassroots, but the city government's response suggests it believes it has done everything perfectly, which is not a model for a city to move forward. He also accused the city government of adopting a 'Band-Aid' approach to policy, treating symptoms rather than root causes.

Shen attended the 'Taiwanese Alliance Supporters' Inauguration Ceremony' this morning alongside DPP legislators Wu Szu-yao, Wu Pei-yi, and several DPP Taipei city councilors. Before the event, Shen was asked in an interview about the Taipei City Government's recent press releases emphasizing that its policies are well-handled.

Shen said that many of the policies he proposes highlight the people's concerns, but the city government's response is always the same, claiming its policies are already very good. For example, his proposals for mountain hiking transportation networks, market circulation, and civil servant stress reduction are all areas that should be enhanced or improved under the existing system.

Shen stated that from the beginning, he has been presenting the voices of citizens, but the city government's response has always been very arrogant, believing it has done everything perfectly. This, he said, is not a model for a city to progress.

Asked by the media about the previous day's questioning session in the Taipei City Council, Shen said that many councilors are speaking out for the people's rights and grassroots civil servants. 'Logically, the mayor should personally come out to answer, because the councilors are elected by the people. If the people are the masters today, then the mayor should respond to the citizens' needs and questions, rather than having someone always acting as a shield, or having grassroots civil servants take the brunt,' he said.

Shen stated that debates and discussions on policy are normal and appropriate in a democratic society. He has no issue with Taipei City government officials using live streams to discuss his topics. He reiterated that what he proposes are frontline and grassroots voices, but the response he receives is either arrogance or personal attacks. When reflecting these voices, the city government completely fails to respond to the needs of Taipei citizens, and this prevents the city from progressing.

When asked about the preparation timeline for his proposed policies, Shen said he prepared a large amount of data in advance, including grassroots forums, AI-organized councilor questions, and citizen hotline data. He wanted to understand citizens' views on the city and believes that 'the city government actually governs the city with a Band-Aid approach,' often treating symptoms rather than root causes.

He said this is why he emphasizes the concept of an 'ecosystem,' because policies are interconnected. He does not deny the original intentions of these municipal policies. For example, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's proposal to allow employees to leave work one hour earlier is a very good idea, but the problem is the need to improve supporting measures.

Shen said that without supporting measures, policy implementation feels 'stuck.' He hopes Taipei City can become better and does not want the election to devolve into political mudslinging. As Chiang Wan-an mentioned when attending the 'Havel's Bench' event, we are now seeing more mudslinging, which is not what citizens want to see.

Asked if he was worried that attending today's event would be manipulated to revive an 'anti-China, protect Taiwan' image, Shen said that when he questions officials in the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and National Defense Committee, he speaks out on issues involving China or international affairs. However, he is currently discussing municipal-level issues and naturally would not discuss China. 'If the other side keeps trying to create this image, it will collapse on its own,' he said. (Editor: Zhang Mingkun) 1150610