By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The contest for Kaohsiung City Hall intensified Monday as KMT candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) unveiled a key youth entrepreneurship strategy.
In a media interview, Ko detailed her vision to “spark” youth startups. Instead of relying purely on government grants, she proposes an official matchmaking platform to help young entrepreneurs test their products in the market through public fundraising.
Ko’s goals for the four-year term:
- Back 100 startup teams to bring ideas to life.
- Raise NT$300 million via the matchmaking platform.
- Verify market demand quickly to reduce startup risk.
The Backlash: “Outsourcing” Government Duty
Yin Li, a prospective DPP city council candidate, expressed “extreme confusion” over the plan during a statement on Monday. He argued that a mayor’s job is to secure central government resources and manage tax revenue, not to ask citizens to foot the bill for industrial development.
The “Han Kuo-yu” Comparison
Yin drew a direct line between Ko’s plan and Han Kuo-yu’s 2018 promise to establish a NT$10 billion “Youth Entrepreneurship Fund.” Han had claimed NT$7 billion would come from private and overseas donations, a goal that was never met.
As the campaign progresses, the “crowdfunding” debate reflects a wider split over whether the government should be a direct financier of local industry or simply a facilitator for private investment.
