EDITORIAL: Vote for the life you want

The first official policy presentation for candidates in the Taipei mayoral election was held on Saturday, during which the two front-runners in the race showed voters their contrasting styles and visions of governance.

Incumbent Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) focused on recounting his administration’s achievements over the past four years, padding his 30-minute presentation with statistics, including numbers of schools, social housing units, care service stations and users, increases in subsidies, and satisfaction rates for services and programs.

The mayor recapped his policies in detail, in an effort to prove that they have helped ease the daily burdens of residents, and to reassure them he would continue to improve their quality of life if re-elected.

Chiang said he is “a man of his word,” encouraging residents to trust and support him on election day for an “encore” — a reference to his “encore” campaign slogan — of his policies.

In contrast, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) cited advice from a former Taipei City Council speaker, credited former Taipei mayors for the city’s development, and focused on the city’s need for improvement, how he plans to free up more time and space for people to do what they love and be with their family, and how the government can provide support and “accompany” residents through different life stages.

He described how his team gathered feedback from data collected by the 1999 Taipei Citizen Hotline, compiled city councilors’ questions from various council sessions, and collected opinions directly from residents through the campaign’s Line account and impromptu “soapbox” sessions. Shen’s policy proposals addressed residents’ actual needs, and he emphasized the city government’s role in “accompanying” them through challenges and easing their burdens through support measures, including for career changes, childrearing and urban renewal projects.

Shen ended his presentation by quoting the Japanese manga Naruto: “The people of Konoha make up each part of my body... the villagers believe in me and I believe in them.” He said he was not running for mayor for power or authority, but to love and protect his hometown together with all its residents, and hoped they would give him their trust.

In the only televised debate between the two on Oct. 31, Shen stressed the importance of “accompanying” residents through the often long-delayed and frustrating urban renewal process, proposing policies to help them navigate complicated risk assessments, rights disputes and pass administrative reviews. It drew criticism from KMT politicians and supporters, who called the concept too “shallow and unsubstantial,” with Chiang’s former deputy mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) asking whether, with limited staffing, Shen meant “accompanying the real estate developer.”

“Improvement” and “accompanying” residents have been consistent themes in Shen’s campaign platform. Even his mascot characters — Benben (奔奔, run) and Baobao (抱抱, hug) — were designed to evoke “the courage to run forward” and “embrace the warmth of city residents wholeheartedly.” Shen spared no effort to explain his policy ideas over and over to those who misunderstood him.

A number of incidents in Taipei have hinted at a more passive attitude in the city government’s response to residents’ concerns. Some survivors of a fatal Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) food poisoning incident in 2024 are yet to receive compensation and the authorities have been unable to collect the fines imposed on the restaurant owner.

Parents who filed complaints regarding suspected child abuse at preschools said they were ignored and that the city government responded slowly after the cases were exposed by the media.

Residents of buildings in Dazhi that collapsed or were damaged in 2023 due to excavation at the Kee Tai Dazhi construction site said they are still unable to return home and need further support.

The city government also called parents’ concerns regarding suspected food poisoning from school lunches “rumors” from political rivals.

On the other hand, Shen said that while city residents of all ages work hard in various aspects of their daily lives, they need support and companionship, and that the city government should not stand by. His team proposed substantial solutions to address residents’ problems, such as a priority hotline for parents, prompt and standardized evidence collection and inspection measures, and a single integrated point of access for urban renewal projects, along with incentives.

With the mayoral election coming up in two weeks, voters should look closely at candidates and “vote for the kind of life you want,” as Taiwanese TV host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) said in a radio interview.

His words were evocative: “If we truly know how to keep company, we accompany one another when we are most vulnerable... if we truly know how to cherish, we cherish while it is still not too late.”