Chiang Wanan’s Four Years in Power: Interview Questions from Taipei Citizens

◎ Straightforward

Every mayoral election is an interview for candidates by Taipei citizens. Newcomers must come up with plans, and incumbents must hand over transcripts.

Jiang Wanan has been on probation for nearly four years. Now that he stands before the public again, he cannot rely solely on smiles, handshakes, ribbon-cuttings, crowds at the Dome, or a satisfaction survey that looks pretty good. He must first answer the simplest question: "What have you left for Taipei City in the past four years?"

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Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan has been on probation for nearly four years. He must now answer a question: What have these four years left for Taipei City? (File photo)

Over the past three decades, every mayor of Taipei has had successes and failures, but at least a few identifiable works have been left behind.

Chen Shui-bian changed the bureaucratic culture of the city government, promoted convenient services, rectified transportation, city appearance and special industries, opened the MRT to traffic one after another, and built several parks to green the city; during Ma Ying-jeou's term, garbage fees were fully implemented with bag collection, and the Easy Card began to become a city Hao Longbin left behind YouBike, 1999 Citizen Hotline, Flower Expo and multiple MRT lines; even the controversial Ke Wenzhe pushed the city government to reduce debt, build social housing, and renovate old markets such as Nanmen Market and Huannan Market.

So, what is Jiang Wanan’s representative work?

His most frequently mentioned achievement is the Dome. But the Arena was not built from scratch by Jiang Wanan. It was signed during Ma Ying-jeou's term, constructed during Hao Longbin's term, suspended, inspected and renegotiated during Ke Wenzhe's term, and finally obtained a license and officially opened during Jiang Wanan's term.

Of course, Jiang Wanan had the credit for completing the finishing touches and promoting the opening, but the person who finally opened the door cannot take all the credit for the previous twenty years of planning, construction, disputes, and negotiations. The Dome is the history left by the four mayors, not the work of Jiang Wanan alone.

The Dome is the history left by the four mayors, not the work of Jiang Wanan alone. (File photo)

Besides the Big Dome, what else is left?

Fresh milk for every baby, fertility rewards, various subsidies, festivals and concerts all have a certain value and can easily be felt by citizens. However, subsidies are not reform, activities are not construction, and concert crowds cannot replace the future of the city.

The political performance of a mayor is not the number of events held during his term, but what are the citizens still using after ten years after leaving office?

The most serious problem in Taipei right now is not that there is one less concert to hold, but that the city is getting older year by year.

The population is decreasing and the elderly population is increasing; houses, schools, markets, roads, underground pipelines and public facilities are gradually aging; the speed of urban renewal cannot keep up with the speed of aging buildings; young people cannot afford to buy or rent, so they have no choice but to leave Taipei City; sidewalks, bicycle lanes, parking spaces and road trees compete with each other, and pedestrians cannot even find a safe way home.

Taipei City is getting older year by year, and the rate of change cannot keep up with the rate of aging of buildings. The picture shows the urban renewal plan of Unit 5 of South Airport. (Provided by Taipei City Center)

Faced with these problems, what plan did Jiang Wanan propose that would change the next ten years?

How can he accelerate urban renewal? How many more liveable social housing can be added in four years? How to retain the young population? How to renew old markets, schools and underground pipes? How to reallocate road space for pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles? Which system or construction are you planning to leave behind that can be called "Jiang Wanan's work"?

So far, we haven't seen an answer.

The mayor's ability is also tested by answering questions from the city council. Of course, professional details can be supplemented by the heads of bureaus, but policy direction, value selection, and political responsibilities cannot all be outsourced to bureaus. Jiang Wanan often needs bureau heads to explain basic municipal issues such as nutritious lunches, child protection, smoking areas, tree planting and public spaces, which shows that his grasp of municipal affairs is still not like that of a mayor who has been in power for nearly four years.

When faced with basic municipal issues such as smoking areas, nutritious lunches, and child protection, Jiang Wanan often needs bureau heads to explain on his behalf, which shows that he has a strong grasp of municipal affairs, unlike a mayor who has been in power for nearly four years. (File photo)

In particular, the successive serious cases of children and juveniles in Taipei City have further proved that a city cannot just pursue superficial excitement.

What children eat, whether they can grow up safely, and whether the government can catch them in time when they are abused are far more important than which event the mayor attends.

Jiang Wanan's past professional resume should not be overly beautified by the word "American lawyer"

He did have a complete legal education and was qualified as a lawyer; but according to his own public statement, he was dismissed from a large law firm and later started his own business. There are no major cases or notable achievements that can represent his professional achievements in the public information. The registration of the firm has also been closed or suspended. It must be noted that registration and suspension of practice does not mean being punished by a lawyer; but overall, this experience at most proves that he has practiced law in the United States, but it is not enough to prove that he is a successful and outstanding lawyer, nor can it directly prove that he has the ability to govern the capital. His practicing experience in the United States is not enough to prove that he is a successful practicing lawyer. Similarly, his four years as mayor is not enough to prove that he is a mayor with political achievements.

A person's origin is not his fault, but family halo cannot be counted as personal ability. The more a person attracts attention and obtains political resources because of his surname, the more he should produce his own works to prove the legitimacy of his political power in a democratic society. It's a pity that after four years, we can't see Jiang Wanan's work that can be proposed by the public in ten years and worthy of the public's pride.

In comparison, although Shen Boyang has not yet achieved the performance of an executive chief, he has at least begun to use artificial intelligence, big data and urban data to analyze Taipei City's population, housing, transportation, industry and urban aging, and propose a relatively complete municipal plan. His plan must of course be tested, but at least he is answering a question that Jiang Wanan has not answered so far: What kind of city do we want Taipei to be in ten years?

Taipei mayoral candidate Shen Boyang has begun to use AI, big data and urban data to analyze Taipei City's ecology and propose a relatively complete municipal plan. (File photo)

The reason why the "Ocean Current" was possible was not only because of Shen Boyang's personal charm, but also because citizens had two emotions at the same time: one was anxiety about Taipei's continued aging, and the other was the expectation that the city could finally change.

Jiang Wanan may be able to defend himself with satisfaction. But the satisfaction can only prove that many citizens do not hate him now, but it cannot prove that he has prepared a future for Taipei City. Increased welfare, lively activities, and a moderate image can all improve satisfaction; however, real urban reform often has to endure resistance and even pay a short-term public price.

The poll is just one of the interview materials, not a renewal notice.

In this mayoral interview, Jiang Wanan must answer another question: If he is successfully re-elected, will he promise to serve for four years? Or is the mayor of Taipei just a political springboard to gain national popularity, campaign across counties and cities, and compete for higher offices?

The citizens of Taipei hired a mayor who would devote himself to running Taipei City, not a presidential candidate who borrowed city government resources to prepare for the next election.

Jiang Wanan's real competitor is not just Shen Boyang, but the void left by him in the past four years.

The interview questions for citizens are not difficult: What have you done? What do you see? What are you going to change?

If a mayor who has been in power for nearly four years still cannot produce his own works and cannot tell the direction of Taipei City in the next ten years, why should Taipei City entrust him with the next four years?

(The author is a lawyer and political commentator)