Tue, Oct 11, 2005 page1

• Chen presses for support on arms bill

  DOUBLE TEN SPEECH The president blasted opposition parties for delaying the weapons bill, and pledged to pursue reforms in six areas, including the finance sector

  • BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN / STAFF REPORTER
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  During the Double Ten National Day celebrations yesterday President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said his greatest worry was the nation's lack of confidence in committing to defend itself.

  Chen was referring to concerns over the failure of the Legislative Yuan to pass a special arms budget to purchase US weaponry.

  "Although the largest opposition party [the Chinese Nationalist Party, or KMT] has realized that the public supports the arms budget, it has no resolve to change its position as a result of being tied up by the other opposition party [the People First Party, or PFP]," Chen said in his address to the nation during this year's Double Ten National Day ceremony held in front of the Presidential Office.

  

  Students from National Neipu Senior Agricultural-Industrial Vocational High School in Pingtung County's Neipu Township yesterday perform an Aboriginal dance for the Double Ten National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Office.

  PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES

  The arms budget was decided by the former KMT government in the late 1990s. The KMT, however, shifted its position after losing the presidential election in 2000, and has been working with the PFP to block the bill in the legislature.

  "The opposition alliance has prevented the arms bill from making it onto the legislative agenda 31 times, disabling the country's self-defense capability," he said.

  Even so, Chen said his government would try hard to enhance Taiwan's self-defense capability and maintain cross-strait peace, which he regarded as Taiwan's biggest responsibility.

  The ceremony was chaired by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). More than 200 international guests from the nation's allies were present to express their friendship toward Taiwan. They included Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and his wife, Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, Kiribati Vice President Teima Onorio and Belize Deputy Premier John Briceno and his wife.

  Chen also stressed his determination to carry out reforms in six areas during the two-and-a-half years remaining in his presidency.

  These included the second phase of financial reform, which is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the finance industry, tax reform as well as changes to the preferential 18 percent interest rates offered to retired civil servants and teachers, in a bid to lessen social inequality. In addition, the president mentioned media reform eliminating the influence of political parties, government and the military on the media, political reform to probe properties inappropriately seized by political parties and constitutional reform to create a mechanism to deal with political stalemates.

  "The six reform priorities stand on top of my administration agenda; more importantly, these are `contracts' with the people of Taiwan," Chen said.

  Many believe that the DPP's ability to implement reforms and its clean image helped it win support after taking power in 2000, but recent scandals with the Kaohsiung MRT, extra bonuses for government-appointed representatives of state-run China Steel Corp and the like have harmed the party's image.

  Responding to allegations of corruption, Chen pledged to implement a zero-tolerance policy.

  "Any individual found to violate the laws of our nation will be sanctioned by the law and any corrupt misconduct will be subject to action by legal authorities, irrespective of [the individual's] background, credentials or social status," he said.

  When asked by press for comments on the president's address, KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said, "It is not fair for the president to ascribe the blame for the delay of the arms procurement bill to the opposition parties."

  Ma, who sat next to DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) during the National Day celebration, said he spoke with Su about the speech.

  "I told Su that so far the Ministry of National Defense is the only government department to have offered an explanation about the arm-sale bill, but it is about more than national defense," Ma said.

  "The president took advantage of the occasion to criticize the opposition parties who could only sit and listen while having no chance to respond," Ma said, adding that Chen's statement had implied that the DPP also bears half the responsibility for the confrontation.

  Additional reporting by Jewel Huang

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