Wang Hung-wei (???), the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate for January's legislative by-election in Taipei, on Sunday questioned the feasibility of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Enoch Wu's (???) proposal to transform Songshan Airport into a public park.

In an election platform unveiled Saturday, the DPP's Wu said the scheduled completion of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport's third runway in 2030 would allow it to easily absorb Songshan's traffic and pave the way for the downtown airport's closure.

Similar proposals to transform Songshan Airport have been mooted by DPP candidates in the capital for 20 years, and, despite the party holding Taiwan's presidency since 2016, little progress has been made in the interim.

Wang, a Taipei City councilor, said Wu had failed to adequately explain how he would secure central government backing for the 213-hectare public park, as well as overcome the hurdles that have blocked like-minded proposals over the last two decades.

The KMT candidate added that Wu should have consulted with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and the Ministry of National Defense over his plans.

Wang said that the DPP candidate had also failed to provide a feasibility study, calling on Wu to focus on discussing the proposal itself rather than highlighting who agreed with or objected.

Wang was referring to Wu's remarks earlier Saturday that Taipei City Mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (???) said in September that land use can be discussed after the relocation of Songshan Airport, signaling Chiang was not opposed to moving the airport out of the city.

Wang and Wu will face off against each other in a by-election on Jan. 8. for the legislative seat vacated by Chiang.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel