Taipei has a new mayor - independent candidate Ko Wen-je - and his first buzz-worthy sound bite was that he wants Taipei to be able to 'kill off' Singapore within eight years (八年内干掉新加坡). This was reported by Yahoo! Taiwan on 1 Dec.

In an earlier interview, Ko also said that he envisions Taipei to overtake Singapore.

Ko, an independent candidate backed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was voted in as Taipei's new mayor three days ago. He beat Sean Lien, a Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and Taiwan's ex-Prime Minister Lien Chan's son, by 57.1 percent to 40.8 percent.

Ko has declared that he will first change the bureaucratic culture of Taipei and will follow up with a proposed Taipei City plan for 2050.

He also wants Taipei to be a neutral 'demilitarised' zone between the pro-independence DPP and the pro-China KMT. Ko said that the rivalry between both camps was worrying. This infighting has hindered Taiwan's development for several years now.

Ko said that this elections is a 'reset' of sorts that will free Taipei from the strife between both camps.

As to how Ko will lead Taipei to overtake Singapore, he said that his team of staffers are people who can govern, and not people who are just campaigners. He said Taipei can look forward to changes in their education system, standard of living as well as social welfare system.

Ko, who is a medical doctor, has little political experience and gained popularity for his down-to-earth image - he comes from a humble family where his father and grandfather were both public servants. He was elected mayor as an independent candidate, and although he has been a supporter of DPP's Chen Shui-bian, he said he will not join a political party and intends to bar his staffers from engaging in political activities.

Top photo from here

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