TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Legislative Speaker Chiang Chi-chen (江啟臣) came under fire Wednesday for skipping a scheduled 10 a.m. briefing on the recall campaign against him.

Chiang said earlier he would instead meet with scholars from the Brookings Institution, officials from the Asia Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce, and a delegation of US congressional aides, per UDN. He added he planned to convey Taiwan’s concerns to the visitors in hopes they would advocate for the country.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said attending public briefings is the responsibility of elected officials, per ETtoday, adding that Chiang should not fear public criticism.

Former Taichung DPP official Liao Chih-yen (廖芝晏), who leads the recall campaign, also condemned his absence, accusing him of listening only to supporters and avoiding engagement with critics, per ETtoday.

Liao further charged that Chiang has neglected development in all of his constituencies — Fengyuan, Shigang, Xinshe, and Dongshi — questioning why the expressway extension from Fengyuan to Dongshi has taken more than 25 years to complete, per UDN.

In 2019, Chiang blamed the delay on former Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who governed the city from 2014 to 2018, per Liberty Times. Lin’s former official Pai Chih-jung (白智榮) countered that the problem stemmed from a flawed environmental impact assessment conducted under former Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強).

The extension is currently slated for completion in 2029. Observers note that the outcome of the recall could influence Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) political succession plans.