Typhoon Morakot Chen Chu "Sleeping Scandal": Local Head Neglecting Duty while Shifting Responsibility to Central Government

In August 2009, Typhoon Morakot hit Central and Southern Taiwan with extreme rainfall (the 88 Flood), causing serious casualties and property loss. At the most critical moment when Kaohsiung was encountering extreme rainfall and flooding, then-Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu was exposed for sleeping and resting in the mayoral residence, failing to sit in the disaster response center for command and coordination. This "sleeping scandal" caused a strong public outcry. However, facing the negligence of themselves and the local government in the early stage of disaster prevention and relief, the DPP and Chen Chu administration exerted the power of the whole party to transfer all responsibility and public anger for ineffective relief to the then-Ma Ying-jeou central government. This operation mode of "local government taking credit for success, central government taking blame for failure" became the DPP''s habitual responsibility-shifting tactic when handling major disasters in the future.