Countering Lai Qingde's criticism that "the heart is not in Taoyuan" Zhang Shanzheng: Wherever you give, your heart will be there

Kuomintang Taoyuan Mayor Zhang Shanzheng, who is seeking re-election, appeared on the "Shaokang War Room" for an exclusive interview today (21st) evening. In response to President Lai Ching-te's criticism that his "heart is not in Taoyuan" when he stood for DPP Taoyuan mayoral candidate Huang Shijie on the 18th, Zhang Shanzheng responded with his experience of going south many times to assist with disaster relief during the Tainan earthquake in 2016, emphasizing that "where you give, your heart will be there", and citizens will have their own public comments on the results of policy.

Zhang Shanzheng said that when the Tainan earthquake occurred in 2016, Lai Ching-te was the mayor of Tainan. During his tenure as the Executive Yuan, he traveled south to Tainan 12 times in three months. "My heart was in Tainan at that time, so he probably wouldn't object." Now serving as the mayor of Taoyuan, he believes that his intentions and administrative achievements can be seen by the citizens.

Zhang Shanzheng mentioned that it was indeed regrettable that the blue-green administration treated local differences, but he still tried his best to maintain friendly relations with the central government. If there are local affairs in Taoyuan that require the support of the Executive Yuan, the communication channels with Executive President Zhuo Rongtai and his staff are quite open. Overall, the relationship between Taoyuan and the central government is still considered "relatively friendly", and local development will not be affected by different political stances.

Regarding his opponent Huang Shijie's repeated invitations to debates, Zhang Shanzheng said that as the current mayor, he has experienced eight parliamentary session questions in the past four years. Whether it is the Democratic Progressive Party or the Kuomintang members, the questions are sometimes quite harsh and unpretentious. Various governance issues have been fully tested; the intensity and depth of parliamentary supervision are far more effective than one or two hours of TV debates. At this stage, explaining governance performance and future governance directions to the public is still a priority.

Zhang Shanzheng also said that he had previously mentioned that he was "doubting his life" after being smeared by his opponents, and he mainly wanted to fight for the injustice of the city government team. Take social housing as an example. During his eight years in office, former mayor Zheng Wencan has completed or started construction of more than 4,000 units. The social housing units he has promoted after taking office, including the part expected to be completed by the end of next year, can complete more than 5,000 units in five years. If successfully re-elected, about 10,000 units are expected to be completed in his eight-year term. Related achievements should not be denied.

Besides, the same is true for MRT construction. After taking office, the city government significantly shortened the originally delayed construction period. Thousands of engineering team members worked day and night to catch up with the progress. But now he is criticized by his opponents for the delay of the project, which makes him feel very unfair. He bluntly said, "How can I deal with these people?" Elections can have different positions, but the efforts of grassroots colleagues cannot be ignored.