By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said Wednesday he would serve out his term after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) suggested Chen could be a possible replacement for Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰).
Chiang made the comment while calling for the Cabinet to resign over the Central Union Oil (中聯油脂) food safety scandal.Chen rejected the speculation, saying his job was to complete his mayoral term and focus on city governance, construction projects and investment promotion.
He said mayors should concentrate on protecting food safety rather than turning the issue into a political fight.
“The mayor’s job is to take care of food safety,” Chen said, adding that local governments are responsible for factory inspections and testing, while the central government is responsible for policy planning, rulemaking and coordination.
Chen said both central and local governments should work together on the issue.He said political moves such as calling for the Cabinet to step down would not answer the main question facing the public.
“If everyone just handles this politically, who is going to take care of food safety?” Chen said.
The Central Union Oil scandal has become a major national issue after soybean oil was found to contain excessive benzo[a]pyrene, a carcinogenic compound. The case has led to recalls, inspections and calls for changes to food safety reporting rules.
Chen said the priority should be legal and institutional reform, not political positioning.
