Taipei City Council questions controversy: Who is the mayor?

The Taipei City Council general inquiry was originally an important occasion for members to supervise the municipal administration and for the mayor to be tested. However, the recent questioning scenes have caused a strong sense of violation to the outside world. From the past being jokingly called "tablet Yin Wei's answer" to now, the chairman of the research and examination committee, Yin Wei, directly stood on the consultation desk to confront the council members. Even after council member He Menghua explicitly asked Mayor Chiang Wanan to answer questions, there was still a situation where the answering rights and responsibilities were unclear. It is inevitable that people will question, who is the mayor of Taipei?

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan (second from left) and Chairman of the Research and Examination Committee Yin Wei (second from right) attended the Municipal General Inquiry on June 9. (File photo) It is true that when it comes to the business of the research and examination committee, there is nothing wrong with having the chairman of the research and examination committee take the stage to prepare for inquiries. Local council inquiries originally allow heads of bureaus and departments to explain professional business. However, when the council members have clearly designated the mayor to respond, the focus is no longer on the business reports of the bureau heads, but on the mayor's own political commitment to policy direction, budget planning and administrative responsibilities. The mayor is an elected leader, and it is his responsibility to accept supervision, not a job that can be handed over to his staff.

What is even more worrying is that this is not the first time such controversy has arisen. When Jiang Wanan was previously asked "What are the four mountains of the Four Beast Mountains?", he couldn't answer for a time. He lowered his head and looked at his tablet before he answered successfully, which triggered the ridicule of "Yin Wei Answer" from the outside world. Nowadays, from sending messages on a tablet, providing on-site assistance, to standing directly at the information desk, it seems as if remote control has been upgraded to on-site call-taking. Although it may not be illegal legally, the political perception is very bad. What the citizens expect to see is the mayor showing his ability to control the municipal government, rather than having his staff rush to the front line to rescue him whenever he encounters a difficult problem.

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In fact, excellent staff should already exist. Staff are responsible for collecting information, formulating policies, and providing professional advice. This is a necessary mechanism for the operation of the administrative team. But the core spirit of democratic politics lies in the matching of rights and responsibilities. When the votes are cast for Jiang Wanan and the citizens are supervising Jiang Wanan, then the person who ultimately faces the parliamentary inquiry should be Jiang Wanan himself, not any staff member no matter how outstanding he is. Otherwise, in the long run, the city government team will easily form the absurd phenomenon of "the mayor is responsible for exposing the matter and his staff is responsible for answering."

Municipal administration is not an idol drama, nor is it a corporate briefing. Parliamentary questions are not a team relay race. When the council members have explicitly asked the mayor to answer, the best approach is actually very simple, that is, the mayor personally stands at the consultation desk and clearly explains his position and policies. Because what citizens want to test is never Yin Wei's ability, but whether the mayor of Taipei has the ability to govern on his own. If the staff are to be the protagonist at every critical moment, then the outside world may not only question procedural issues, but how much control the mayor has over the municipal government.

Taipei City Councilor He Menghua raised a question in the parliament. (File photo) (The author is a freelance commentator)