DUTY CALLS:Yao said he is like a baseball pitcher who has been practicing and would immediately get on the pitcher’s mound when his team needs him

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 04, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin / Staff reporter

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) yesterday said he has been preparing to run for Taipei mayor and would accept the challenge if the party asks him to.

Yao made the remarks in response to queries about a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News that said the approval rating of Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has been dropping and that the DPP is considering nominating its own candidate for the 2018 Taipei mayoral election.

A poll released on Friday showed that Ko’s approval rating fell to 42.3 percent, from 70 percent after his first 100 days in office.

“I have been preparing [for the Taipei mayoral election]. I was prepared for it in the last election [in 2014],” Yao said. “I am like a pitcher who has been practicing in the bullpen: When the team needs me, I can get on the pitcher’s mound immediately and if not, I will just keeping on preparing for a perfect game.”

Yao said he was already well-prepared two years ago, when he announced he would run for the post. In the end, the DPP decided to throw its support behind Ko, an independent.    [FULL  STORY]