離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Ko welcomes public eye, comments on Chen, Ma
By Tu Chu-min and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je （柯文哲） called on the public to keep him under scrutiny, saying in an interview that he would seek to learn from the mistakes of former president Chen Shui-bian （陳水扁） and President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九）.
Ko made the remarks in a Global Views Monthly magazine interview that was published in its latest edition.
When questioned over how Ma and Chen had erred, Ko said Chen lacked knowledge of philosophy and the humanities, and referred to a comment made by former Shin Kong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital doctor Huang Fang-yen （黃芳彥） that Chen did not even know about the story of the Trojan Horse.
“We can’t deny that he [Chen] worked hard, but in the end, only an animal with electoral instincts was left,” Ko said.
As for Ma, Ko said the president erred in the way he sought talent and constantly looked for people like himself.
In response to comments that he often spoke bluntly, the physician-turned-independent Taipei mayor said people have asked him to change his ways.
However, Ko said that people elected him for the way he is: pursuing a change in society, not to adapt to it, adding that he agrees with what former premier Frank Hsieh （謝長廷） said on the matter.
“They elected us because we are who we are; if we changed ourselves to become another [former premier] Su Tseng-chang （蘇貞昌） or [Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson] Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文）, would I still be Ko Wen-je?” Ko said.
Ko said that aside from sleeping, he was working around the clock to keep up with governing the city.
“My strong suit is that I am willing to admit when I am wrong,” he said. “If I’m wrong, I don’t need to say anything more.”
Ko said he was not humble, but rather considered himself sly.
He described himself as a spore, saying that he thrives in good conditions, but undergoes pathological changes when the environment is unfriendly.
“My wife often describes me as a very practical lion, one that would lie down and play dead when there is no food,” said Ko, whose astronomical sign is Leo.
Ko said he hopes to spearhead change in Taiwan by initiating changes in the capital.
He spoke of a conversation he had with entrepreneur Samuel Yin （尹衍樑）, in which Yin said that the difference between explorers Christopher Columbus and Zheng He （鄭和） was that Zheng followed the coastline when he embarked on his “Grand Voyage,” while Columbus crossed the Atlantic Ocean into the unknown.
Zheng, a eunuch of the Chinese court, headed the Grand Voyage from 1405 to 1433 — a series of maritime explorations that modern academics say is the most likely reason for the spread of Ming Dynasty influence.
“What we’re doing is the same; I’m restoring the maritime spirit of Taiwan as an island nation, sailing into the unknown,” Ko said, adding that he hoped the public would place their faith in an open government that is transparent and allows people to participate in the decisionmaking process.
Ko said he is thankful to the public for adapting to his methods and being lenient with him during his move into politics over the past year, adding that he hopes people will “always supervise me.”
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
