Pan-blue Blasts Proposed Hsinchu-Miaoli Merger 綠推竹竹併升格 藍提案「竹竹苗科技都」

KMT Chair Eric Chu, Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke, Miaoli County Magistrate Hsu Yao-chan issued a joint call for the merger of the three municipalities to be put off until 2026. Hsinchu City Mayor Lin Chih-chien, however, said the merger is "necessary and urgent."

On the 27th, Kuomintang Chair Eric Chu, Hsinchu County Magistrate Yang Wen-ke, Miaoli County Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang, and council speakers and legislators representing Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City, and Miaoli County jointly called for the merger of the three municipalities to be put off until 2026. The Democratic Progressive Party is trying to push the merger through before the elections next year.

Eric Chu, KMT Chair: “Only 10 percent of voters in Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, and Miaoli County support the Democratic Progressive Party's ill-advised legislation for 2022. In fact, over 80 percent of young voters want to wait until 2026.”

Hsu Yao-chang, Miaoli County Magistrate: “This rush job is not going to turn out well. Slow down!”

Chu blasted the DPP for changing the law to suit its own selfish purposes while ignoring how a merger would affect local development and allocation of government funds in Miaoli. Hsu and Yang, meanwhile, said municipalities have always been given time to prepare before a merger and the process should not be a hasty rush job.

Yang Wen-ke, Hsinchu County Magistrate: “If this isn't bullying, what is?”

Lin Chih-chien, Hsinchu City Mayor: “I want to ask Eric Chu: If Lin Chih-chien doesn't run, will Eric Chu openly support rushing through the revisions to merge the three municipalities?”

Lin Chih-chien, however, says voters can make their own decision once the law is passed. He also said the DPP is proposing the change for the sake of national development and it is very regrettable the KMT is trying to politicize the move.

 

地方制度法正在在立法院進行修法，眼看竹竹合併升格勢在必行，國民黨主席朱立倫拋出「竹竹苗科技都」反制，27日邀請新竹縣長楊文科、苗栗縣長徐耀昌，以及議長、立委等竹苗民代召開記者會，強力訴求2026年竹竹苗合併為科技都的升格對案，並公布民調強調獲得多數支持。

朱立倫表示:「只有一成左右的人贊成，2022年也就是民進黨的倉促立法，已經讓竹竹苗地區的人非常反感，尤其年輕人更誇張，八成以上都主張是要2026年。」

徐耀昌說：「急就章絕對不是好事，事緩則圓。」

朱立倫批評民進黨想要2022年竹竹升格完全是一黨之私，不顧苗栗的地方發展跟財政收支劃分，徐耀昌跟楊文科也表示以往縣市升格都有足夠準備時間，不應該倉促進行。

楊文科說：「倉促行事這不是霸凌，什麼是霸凌。」

林智堅表示:「我要請教朱立倫主席，如果林智堅不參選，是否朱立倫主席可以公開支持加速修法，促成竹竹的合併升格。」

面對國民黨質疑有選舉考量，林智堅強調合併升格修法過後，每一個人都可以選，也隔空三問朱立倫，認為合併升格是為了國家產業發展，國民黨卻把合併升格議題扭曲成政治惡鬥，感到很可惜。