Taiwan News
Date: 2016-04-12
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je came under fire at the Taipei City Council Tuesday for failing to fulfill promises and for reading Buddhist texts as his popularity sagged.

Ko was elected mayor by a landslide in November 2014, but recent opinion polls have shown his support from the public sagging to its lowest level so far.

After the presentation of his policy report to the city council Tuesday, the outspoken mayor was faulted for failing in his plans to subsidize healthy school lunches, resolve traffic jams, converting a market and other local issues.

In contrast to previous sessions, most of the criticism Tuesday came from the Democratic Progressive Party, the party which helped Ko win election.

The mayor barely reacted to the verbal attacks, reports said, as he consulted documents, talked with Vice Mayor Charles Lin who was seated next to him, or read a small booklet with yellow pages, which was interpreted as being a collection of Buddhist texts.     [FULL  STORY]