Taipei City Government

Mayor Ko Wen-je set out his vision for the city’s social welfare services in 2015 during a press event for ‘New Year Dishes Delivery’ on February 16.
During his address, Ko noted that the Department of Social Welfare holds the meaningful event every year to deliver free New Year dishes to the needed in collaboration with private organizations.
He expressed his gratitude to volunteers and groups involved in the event, noting that the special delivery service resonates with his political philosophy of “open government, public participation.” Stressing that social work cannot be undertaken by a single agency alone, he lauded all the sponsors whose deeds have warmed the hearts of the receivers.
According to Ko, the implementation of infrastructure is a relatively easier part in city administration. Building public housing, for example, is all about construction. The process, however, involves communication with the Executive Yuan, National Property Administration, the military, and residents in the neighborhood, not to mention the follow-up work to be done—such as establishing facilities inside the public housing complexes.
The mayor reckoned that the government has been investing too much on infrastructure, but has done too little to improve civic services. He believes that the ultimate vision for the city’s social welfare services lies in the incorporation of private sources, employing the idea of ‘social enterprise.’ The New Year Dishes Delivery also served as a reminder for the city government to work out better ways to improve the city’s social welfare system, Ko remarked.