Timeless wit: Ko Wen-je has no time for timepieces

Staff writer, with CNA





Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), known for his off-the-cuff remarks to reporters, made news again yesterday after saying that he might pass a gift watch to a scrapyard because he had “no use for it.”

The pocket watch was given to him by British Minister of State for Transport Susan Kramer.

Giving clocks or watches as gifts is traditionally seen as taboo in Taiwanese and Chinese culture because the phrase “giving a clock” (送鐘) is pronounced the same as “bidding farewell” to the deceased (送終) at a funeral.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, right, receives a gift from British Minister of State for Transport Susan Kramer in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times

After being asked by reporters whether he felt uncomfortable with the gift, Ko said he was not worried, because he and his wife were both doctors and were not superstitious.

He added that he lives on the fourth floor, considered unlucky by some people because the number four sounds similar to the word “death” (死).

However, the comment that drew the most media attention came as Ko laughed and said: “I can just give it to someone else or take it to a scrap metal dealer and sell it for cash.”

Taipei City Government spokesperson Lin Ho-ming (林鶴明) said that the mayor’s comment “was just a joke,” and that the gift had been stored in the city repository and would not be sold.

In his meeting with Kramer, Ko spoke in English as they discussed rail transport and urban renewal — important topics for Taipei as it prepares to host the 2017 Universiade.

The mayor presented Kramer with a miniature of Taipei 101. There was no word on what she thought of the gift.

Kramer was quoted by officials with the British Trade and Cultural Office in Taipei later in the day as saying that she had learned something about giving gifts.

“I’m sorry. We learn something new each day. I had no idea a gift like this could be seen as anything other than positive: In the UK a watch is precious — because nothing is more important than time,” she was quoted as saying. “The gift came from the House of Lords — which is only accessible to members of the UK’s upper parliament. It is a very unique item.”

“It was a huge honor to meet Mayor Ko. We look forward to working with him and his team in Taipei,” she added.