HASHING IT OUT: Shen said he had signed an agreement to participate, while a Chiang representative said they needed to confirm arrangements for another debate
By Sam Garcia / Staff writer
Six major news outlets including the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) yesterday formally invited all Taipei mayoral candidates to discuss their policies in a televised debate.
In a joint statement, the Liberty Times, China Television, Taiwan Television, Formosa Television, Mirror TV and Chinese Television System said Taipei residents have the right to assess candidates’ policy proposals and commitments to accountability through open, rational debates.
The invitation comes after TVBS and SETN announced they have invited the candidates to hold a televised debate.
A composite image shows Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen, left, and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an in undated photographs.
Photo: Taipei Times
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋) have already agreed to that debate.
The broadcasters met with representatives of their campaigns yesterday to discuss the details and agreed to hold a second meeting.
Meanwhile, the six media outlets’ statement said that jointly hosting a debate would bring together diverse perspectives and broaden the scope of the discussion, urging the candidates to accept the invitation and enter the debate on equal terms.
The debate would focus on substantive issues facing the city, with questions examining the feasibility of candidates’ policies to help inform voters, it said.
The debate should embrace openness and inclusivity, as it is intended to foster a representative cross-media dialogue based on mutual trust, it said, adding that the news groups would negotiate the format to ensure a fair debate.
Shen said he had already signed an agreement to participate, adding that he hoped all parties would quickly negotiate the details and set a good example for municipal policy debates.
Asked by reporters whether he would participate in the six-outlet debate, Chiang declined to give a definitive answer.
“Right now, we have signed with TVBS, and both sides have reached a consensus,” Chiang said. “Based on our past coordination experience and conventions, the next step is to negotiate the time, location, format and other details for this event.”
Typically, one debate would be held alongside two policy presentations for candidates to exchange views on municipal affairs, he added.
KMT Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強), a campaign spokesman for Chiang, said the campaign welcomed media outlets organizing a debate and hoped additional outlets would join as cohosts.
The Chiang campaign disagrees with the Shen campaign’s proposal to settle the total number of debates before deciding on the date of the first one, Lo said.
Chiang’s campaign remained open to holding multiple debates and was willing to participate in debates jointly organized by several media outlets, he said.
However, discussions about the date and other arrangements for the first debate should continue alongside negotiations over the total number of debates to avoid delays, he said.
Additional reporting by Hou Chia-yu and Tung Kuan-yi