[ LETTER ]

Before last year’s Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) disaster, then-Hualien County Health Bureau director-general Chu Chia-hsiang (朱家祥) pre-emptively deployed a disaster medical assistance team. When the flooding had abated, Chu led a team that distributed medicine, and visited clinics and pharmacies in person to help restore Hualien’s medical provisions.

However, Chu was allegedly forced to leave the Hualien County Government after refusing to join a campaign supporting Candy Yu (游淑貞), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Hualien County commissioner candidate for the Nov. 28 local elections.

Chu said he was told to leave his post immediately, adding that he declined an offer to transfer to an advisory role.

Yu, who has taken the lead over fellow candidates independent Hualien County Council Speaker Chang Chun (張峻) and independent Hualien County Councilor Wei Chia-hsien (魏嘉賢), is a successor backed by the “Fu dynasty.”

KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi — who was Hualien County commissioner from 2009 to 2018 — and his wife, incumbent Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) — have governed the county for nearly 17 years. During that period, the Hualien Health Bureau, led by Chu, greatly contributed to the county’s administrative performance.

If Yu wins, the “Fu dynasty” would retain control over Hualien. Whether the personnel and decisionmaking methods of the past nearly 17 years will continue depends on how their successor exercises her power.

For now, the county government should clarify whether a mobilization request was made and who decided on Chu’s transfer. Once these questions and the decisionmaking process are clarified, Hualien voters can fairly assess the personnel change.

The Fu couple’s 17-year rule was sufficient to build bridges, pave roads and renovate venues, but it was also enough time to entrench the practice of treating administrative machinery as the commissioner’s private property.

If the “Fu dynasty” wants to pass the throne to its designated heir, the test for the handover is: When the next health bureau head gets a request that crosses administrative boundaries, can he say “no” and still return to the office the next day?