Shen Boyang has become famous on the Internet, and the media focuses on his personal life but ignores the municipal profession.

◎ Yao Mengchang

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, many media opinion leaders, Internet celebrities or talk shows have merged themselves into the ocean current. When I saw TV celebrities talking about what Puma Shen Boyang eats, what he wears, what he wears, and who he fits with, it has become a fact that Shen Boyang's popularity on the Internet has skyrocketed. But everyone seems to have forgotten that what is most eye-catching about him is actually his professionalism, comprehensiveness and sincerity when talking about municipal affairs. What makes Shen Boyang refreshing is not his appearance and public relations packaging, but his courage to go deep into the grassroots and talk directly to the citizens. Compared with the Chiang Kai-shek government's hesitant and cunning excuses on many municipal issues, Shen Boyang is more able to bring hope to the citizens.

Shen Boyang, the Taipei mayoral candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party, has become famous online. (File photo) When observing the two candidates competing for the position of mayor of Taipei, the author is concerned about the candidate’s ability to lead a team to handle municipal affairs, the ability to plan and execute the city’s vision, and their sense of responsibility and commitment to the citizens; as for personal appearance, preferences, what school they attended, and what degree they received, they should not be the focus of the campaign. It is far more important for a candidate to return to the municipal government and be diligent in letting the people know his intentions for the municipal government than to rely on his personal familiarity with animation, the exquisiteness of his campaign souvenirs, and how attractive his campaign slogans and songs are. When the media blindly reports on what candidates eat, wear, and what mascots they receive, they are actually diverting public attention and making voters forget the key point of judging whether candidates are qualified or not.

Each candidate camp has its own strategy to attract voters. What voters should avoid is treating the mayor as a celebrity and the election as a fashion.

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"A gentleman should stick to his roots and not to others. The principles are based on his principles." This sentence is not only a reminder to the candidates, but also a serious reminder to the voters. Only candidates who are pragmatic and sincere, dedicated to municipal administration and able to fulfill their responsibilities as mayor are the mayors that the people want.

Each candidate camp has its own strategy to attract voters. What voters should avoid is treating the mayor as a celebrity and the election as a fashion. (File photo) (The author is a university teacher)