Taipei experienced less rain and wind than expected as Typhoon Lekima pummeled the island, and Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je concluded that declaring a "typhoon day" was a mistake. According to recent media reports, Terry Gou has asked Ko to be his running mate in the 2020 presidential election.
Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je spent the morning of Aug. 9 at the Central Emergency Operation Center, and also inspected the construction site of Taipei Music Center. Typhoon Lekima brought less rain and wind to Taipei than anticipated, and Ko admitted that declaring a "typhoon holiday" was a mistake. He added that he can't be blamed for the typhoon unexpectedly veering north.
You can't blame me for this. At 3 a.m. this morning, the typhoon veered north by 80 kilometers. Under the original plans and forecasted path, right now there would be both rain and wind. It was worthwhile to ask Mazu for protection. People say that at times, you need luck in life.
Ko was preoccupied with municipal affairs, while the media was more interested in the new political party he established. According to reports, his number of fans has fallen by 10,000 since the establishment of the party. There are even some people who are calling on others to withdraw from Ko's fan club. Ko said he needs to have a political party to achieve his objective of winning legislative representation.
There are 34 legislator-at-large seats in the legislature, and you need a political party. There are differing opinions on this issue of setting up a political party. There are both positive and negative opinions, so I already anticipated that some people would withdraw.
According to political commentator Huang Kuang-chin, Ko recently met with Terry Gou and Gou asked Ko to be his running mate in the 2020 presidential election to ensure Gou could get the votes of Ko fans. The media asked Ko if he would accept the invitation, and Ko did not give a definitive response.
If I were to be the position of vice president, I would rather continue on as Taipei City mayor. Why would I even bother? (Will you complete your term?) It's like this, I'll do my best, you know that in this life, you need to have a good heart and do your best.
Ko left himself some room to maneuver. It remains unknown at present whether Ko will enter the 2020 presidential race, and if he does, whether he will enter as a presidential candidate or vice presidential candidate.