TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) denied Thursday allegations that she abused her oversight powers, calling recent media reports a smear campaign orchestrated by the KMT to distract from recall efforts targeting its lawmakers.
Chien has been accused of pressuring civil servants through aggressive oversight, including what critics say are excessive requests for information, per Tai Sounds. She rejected the claims and argued that Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) is attempting to avoid proper oversight by framing her actions as misconduct.
Chien pointed to the Taipei City Government's swift release of information during a dispute between Chiang and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), contrasting it with what she described as the administration’s resistance to her information request forms. She also refuted claims that her actions caused civil servants to resign, saying that her requests were routine and legitimate.
The controversy stems in part from a June 10 Storm Media report that claimed Chien had requested a large volume of information from the Taipei City Police Department after her aide was fined for illegal parking. Chien responded the same day, asserting that her request was part of her normal duties.
A follow-up report published on Monday claimed that Chien routinely cited legal penalties for knowingly misrepresenting facts in official documents. These were made in her information requests, which reportedly made civil servants feel threatened.
Chien’s office is also alleged to have requested detailed information on the security arrangements for mayoral business trips from 2014 to 2021, including the names, positions, and deployment justifications of accompanying personnel. The city government rejected the request, citing potential risks to the safety of security personnel.
Mirror Media further reported on Tuesday that a DPP legislator submitted an information request around 10 p.m. and demanded a response by the following morning. City departments acknowledged the necessity of oversight but said they typically need three to seven days to process such requests.
Chien responded to each report individually. She argued the Storm Media stories were politically motivated, aimed at undermining the DPP’s ongoing recall campaigns, per ETtoday. She also noted that KMT Taipei City Councilor Liu Tsai-wei (柳采葳) has submitted similarly large information requests without receiving comparable media scrutiny.
Addressing the follow-up story, Chien reiterated her claim that the reporting lacked context, per FTV. She said the controversial request was part of an effort to investigate a broader corruption case and accused the media of selectively presenting information to damage her reputation.
