TAIPEI (TVBS News) — New Taipei City's absence from a prestigious national happiness ranking sparked pointed questions from opposition lawmakers during a tense city council session on Monday (June 9). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Councilor Liao I-kun (廖宜琨) confronted Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) about the city's exclusion from the "2025 Happy Cities Report" issued by the Institute for Quality of Life. During the formal interpellation procedure at the New Taipei City Council, Liao suggested the omission might reflect the municipality's insufficient international profile despite being Taiwan's most populous city with nearly 4 million residents.
Mayor Hou, a former police chief who transitioned to politics, responded diplomatically to the criticism, stating that he respected the survey's methodology while emphasizing that such findings should motivate continuous improvement in municipal governance. The 66-year-old mayor, who has accumulated decades of public service experience, noted with a hint of reflection that his current role likely represents the capstone of his long career in government. "I will dedicate myself fully to serving our citizens," Hou pledged. The questioning intensified when another DPP representative, Councilor Peng Chia-yun (彭佳芸), shifted focus to specific metrics of civic participation, highlighting particularly low engagement rates with the city's digital democracy initiative, the New Taipei iVoting platform.
In defense of his administration's community outreach efforts, Mayor Hou cited several major infrastructure initiatives where public input had been actively solicited, including extensive land rezoning consultations and ongoing Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) expansion projects connecting the sprawling suburban districts to Taipei's core transportation network. The mayor conceded, however, that the digital civic engagement tools currently employed by the municipal government required significant refinement to encourage broader citizen participation. We recognize the need to make our platforms more accessible and responsive to residents' needs, Hou remarked, pledging technological improvements to the city's digital democracy infrastructure. ◼