Former Taitung County Magistrate Xu Qingyuan visited the campaign headquarters of legislator and Taitung County Magistrate candidate Chen Ying yesterday (6th). He was rarely in the same frame as former County Magistrate Chen Jiannian, who had fiercely competed in the county magistrate election in the past, and jointly supported Chen Ying. Xu Qingyuan made it clear that for the future and normal development of Taitung, he will fully support Chen Ying and hopes that she will "take over the next step for Taitung" so that Taitung will continue to make progress and move forward steadily.
Chen Jiannian and Xu Qingyuan competed for the position of Taitung County Governor in 1997, and the winner was only decided by 1,025 votes, which shows that the battle was fierce at that time. Xu Qingyuan told Chen Ying this time that the past events of him and Chen Jiannian competing for county magistrate were in the past, and everything should prioritize the future of Taitung. He hopes that Taitung will not retreat and develop more normally and steadily, so he is willing to fully support it.
During the visit, Xu Qingyuan also shared his experience in election practices and county government governance, and had an in-depth exchange of views with Chen Ying on the needs of local people, county government promotion, and the future development of Taitung. Chen Ying said that Xu Qingyuan has served as Taitung County Councilor, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Councilor, Legislator and County Magistrate. She has rich central and local experience. The years of experience and reminders accumulated by her predecessors are important references for her to take over and serve Taitung.
Chen Ying's campaign headquarters stated that from the joint support of Liu Chuhao and Lai Kuncheng to the joint support of two former county magistrates, Chen Jiannian and Xu Qingyuan, local forces from different generations and different political backgrounds have gathered together. They have transcended past competition and differences to unite a common direction for Taitung and show their ambition to put the future of their hometown before their personal past. This unity carries the expectation that the county government will prioritize the well-being of the villagers, continue Taitung's accumulated efforts over the years, make local development more stable, and allow the lives of the villagers to be better taken care of.
Chen Ying pointed out that during his tenure as county magistrate, Xu Qingyuan adhered to the concept of "Taitung first, political parties aside", transcended political party barriers, and appointed Liu Tenghao, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, as deputy county magistrate, demonstrating the governance spirit of prioritizing local development with practical actions. This also echoes what former President Tsai Ing-wen said, "Good local politics is about ending confrontation and connecting with each other." From cross-party employment back then to working together to support Taitung today, this spirit of being willing to put aside prejudices and work together to work for the local area is worth cherishing and continuing.
Xu Qingyuan's wife also made a special trip back to Taiwan from Canada. During this period, she took the initiative to visit old friends, campaign for Chen Ying, canvassing for votes, and turned her support into concrete actions. Chen Ying was particularly grateful to Xu Qingyuan and his wife. From sharing their governance experience to personally visiting friends and striving for recognition, she felt the deep affection of her predecessors for her hometown and their ardent expectations for Taitung's next great success.
