Green Party Questions An Xin-ya's Annual Endorsement Fee of Tens of Millions; Keelung City: Less Than 1/4 of Budget Item

(Central News Agency, reporter Wang Zhaoyu, Keelung, June 30) The Democratic Progressive Party questioned today that the Keelung City Government's 2023 budget for hiring celebrity An Xin-ya as the city's spokesperson reached NT$12 million for the entire year. In contrast, New Taipei City, which also invited An Xin-ya for events, spent approximately NT$500,000 per event. The city government responded that the endorsement fee is less than 1/4 of the annual budget item of NT$12 million.

Yu Ruo-bai, executive director of the DPP's Keelung City Chapter, said at a press conference that New Taipei City's "New Taipei Together Ride" event, which also involved An Xin-ya, cost NT$503,000 for a single event, including venue setup, performances, and photography. Keelung City Government, however, spent an annual budget of NT$12 million, which is 23.9 times the cost of a single event in New Taipei City. Such a large discrepancy is difficult to understand.

Yu Ruo-bai pointed out, "This is not a problem with the celebrity, but a problem with Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang's city government's budget efficiency and outcome verification." While both invited celebrities, New Taipei City promoted policies, whereas Keelung only generated fleeting topics. New Taipei City appointed An Xin-ya as a low-carbon ambassador, integrating the celebrity into policy discussions. However, Keelung appointed An Xin-ya as a city spokesperson, which appears to be more of a highlight for city marketing topics, with unclear policy connections.

Yu Ruo-bai stated that New Taipei City used small budgets for single-event collaborations with clear themes and quantifiable results. Keelung, on the other hand, spent a high budget with annual planning and unclear outcomes. The issue is not with An Xin-ya, but with how Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang's city government spends money. "What exactly did Keelung buy with NT$12 million?"

Wu Yu-chen, deputy spokesperson for the Keelung City Government, said that An Xin-ya's endorsement fee is actually less than 1/4 of the annual budget item of NT$12 million. It is regrettable that the DPP continues to use misinformation to campaign. (Editor: Lin Shu-hui) 1150630

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