But the plan was criticized by chief executives of local governments from the Democratic Progressive Party, led by Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu. Long-standing central government polices favoring the north over the south had resulted in a drain of southern population to the north, they argued. Dividing the pie on the basis of population at this point would thus be unfair to southern counties and municipalities.
但此舉隨即遭到以高雄市長陳菊為首的民進黨執政縣市批評，認為中央施政長期重北輕南，造成人口北移，如今又以人口多寡來分配，對南部縣市形成雙重不公平。