Taipei has proved itself to be one of the most diverse cities in Asia, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said, adding that he hopes society embraces the value of being diligent.
Ko and Taipei National University of the Arts vice president Chiu Hsien-hsun (邱顯洵) on Tuesday spoke about costumes and authority in the first of a series of lectures hosted by the university.
Taipei is a democratic, open and free city that tolerates difference, Ko said.
“I might not like what you wear, but I can tolerate it,” he said, adding that there is no traditional “Taiwanese” clothing because Taiwan is an immigrant society with a variety of cultures and has possibly the most diversity among all Asian nations.
Taipei’s Eid al-Fitr celebration last year attracted more than 50,000 Muslims who wore traditional clothing and said prayers at Taipei Railway Station, Ko said.
The Taipei lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade last year attracted about 125,000 participants. Both cases show the city’s ability to accept diversity, which might hopefully prompt more creativity, he added.
When asked what he expects of himself, Ko said “diligence” should be stressed in a society that emphasizes speed, because without it accidents can occur; but success is not achieved by accident, so earnestly doing his daily duties is the most important thing to him.
When people want to talk about culture, he would rather talk about values — about what kind of society people want and what is right for society, Ko said.
“The government should be trustworthy, civil servants should serve the people and the judicial system should be fair. Prison should house guilty people. The law is for conformity,” Ko said, adding that while many people say these things are a matter of course, they do not correspond with reality.
If everyone were conforming to the law, then why houses on Shilin District’s (士林) Shezidao (社子島) peninsula do not look like they have been imposed a 47-year construction ban, and why are there more than 1,000 residential units built in business and industrial zones in Neihu District (內湖), he said.
“When I first started the mayoral election campaign in 2014, I said ‘everyone knows what is right and what is wrong, but few people do good things while many people do bad things,’” he said. “Last year I finally realized that in our nation not everyone agrees about what is right and what is wrong.”
The city government had a total of NT$42 billion (US$1.42 billion) budget surplus in three years and the cost for last year’s Taipei Summer Universiade opening and closing ceremonies was less than that of 2009’s Summer Deaflympics because he “did not do anything in particular,” he said.
Earnestly and continuously doing daily administrative duties, keeping plans on schedule and not trying perform tricks or show off is what leads to long-term success, Ko said.
During the nearly two-hour talk, Ko seldom replied to questions about his choice of clothing, but talked in length about his political thoughts.
Ko said he is a practical person and when he was a surgeon he learned that wearing a necktie while doing a medical procedure increases the risk of infection and wearing a suit does not improve patients’ survival rates.
Wearing long-sleeve suits to work in Taiwan’s summer and turning the air-conditioning temperature down is unreasonable. People should be practical and wear clothing depending on the weather, Ko said.
[Taipei Times, 2018-01-19]
