President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday lashed out at the ineffectiveness of the Executive Yuan, citing a succession of events that had been poorly handled by the Cabinet, and said the people had been victimized due to its incapacity.
"The key to administrative renovation does not hinge solely on the establishment of systems, it relies more on instilling in public officials the value that the main purpose of a government is to serve the people," Chen said at a meeting yesterday attended by executive officials concerning how to improve administrative efficiency.
Chen mentioned a series of incidents which had been poorly dealt with by governmental agencies, highlighting their incompetence.
The sluggish progress on reconstruction projects after the catastrophic 921 earthquake, the tardy action taken to deal with an oil spill off southern Taiwan and indecision over whether a holiday should be called off on Feb. 28 -- are all instances that reveal the Cabinet's lack of appropriate management skills, said the president.
Chen pointed specifically to the Cabinet's wavering over whether people would be able to take a day off on Feb. 28. The day commemorates an event that took place 54 years ago, during which an estimated 30,000 people were killed at the hands of KMT-government troops in the wake of an incident that occurred on Feb 28, 1947.
The Executive Yuan did not make a final decision on the matter until late last week, approving the day as a holiday. Due to this it came under fierce attack for its lack of coordination and flawed decision-making processes, though the Executive Yuan blames the legislature for not addressing the matter.
Criticism from the public, as well as the people's expectations, are the best driving force for the government to improve, Chen said.
"I hope Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
In response, Chang said he would bear the president's advice in mind and honestly review his policy implementation.
"As for the president's criticism, the team of the Executive Yuan finds no excuse to shirk away from its responsibility. We'll face our mistakes and will resolve to reform," Chang said.
He added that he had read the president's speech in advance and completely accepted what the president said, offering no suggestions or amendments with regards to the content.
Chang stressed that he would not dodge his own responsibility regarding the misfortunes that had occurred, or side with his subordinates, saying public servants had to face their faults candidly and try to improve with modesty.
Chen's condemnation was deemed by opposition lawmakers -- who said the president's attack did not really mean he had the heart for reform -- as not sincere enough. Political analysts, however, took a differing viewpoint.
"We need to view [the criticism] from a more positive perspective. On the one hand, Chen was taking the chance to put pressure on Cabinet officials, pushing them to work harder and to serve the people better by coordinating more effectively between governmental agencies," said Philip Yang (楊永明), a political science professor at National Taiwan University.
"On the other hand, the president is sending a message to the public and the opposition parties that he is a leader who is able to honestly examine his own administrative results. To direct blame on his own team in public is a way of showing himself to be a responsible president," Yang said.
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