President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) vowed yesterday to lead the country through the global economic recession, saying he was confident the joint efforts of the government and people would eventually succeed.
“I am here to guarantee you that the administration will do its best to create better economic conditions,” he said. “The bitter winter will pass and the spring will come. I promise I will not let you down.”
Ma made the remarks in his televised recorded Lunar New Year’s Eve address. He made the speech in Mandarin, Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese) and Hakka.
PHOTO: CNA
Acknowledging the impact of the worldwide economic downturn, Ma said he realized many people had “complicated feelings” on this year’s New Year’s Eve.
He said Taiwan has experienced a lot over the past year, including the legislative and presidential elections, which were held without a hitch and the country’s democratization, which was hailed by the international community as a “beacon of democracy” for Asia and the world.
Cross-strait tension had also eased, he said, adding that direct cross-strait transportation links were launched, the country’s international profile had been raised to a higher level and the public again had confidence in the judiciary.
“However, Taiwan is also experiencing a ‘once-in-a-century’ financial storm and economic recession. Many people lost their jobs for the very first time,” he said.
The economic slowdown has indeed delivered a blow to the country, he said, but the public should not lose faith because “Taiwan is, after all, our home.”
As long as Taiwanese unite and work together, he said, he was confident the country would weather such economic adversity.
Ma spent the last day of the Year of the Rat yesterday visiting people from all walks of life to thank them for their efforts over the past year. They included firefighters, senior citizens, coast guards and police officers. He also visited various temples to pray for a prosperous Year of the Ox.
Ma began at 8:30am by visiting a tailor in Rueifang Township (瑞芳) in Taipei County before ringing the Lotus Bell at the Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist temple in Jinshan Township at 10:40pm.
Ma visited three other temples yesterday and was scheduled to visit 10 more today to mark Lunar New Year’s Day. He will also visit former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) for the second time since he took office last May. Lee has been outspoken in his criticism of Ma’s China-friendly economic policy, cross-strait policy and Japan policy.
Ma will visit five more temples tomorrow and also distribute red envelopes at Ma Village (馬家庄) in Miaoli County’s Tongsiao Township (通宵).
Ma Village’s residents are mostly surnamed Ma, but none of the Hong Kong-born president’s ancestors or relatives have ever lived there.
No public engagements have been arranged for Ma and Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.
On Friday, Ma will visit the Lin Family Gardens in Banciao (板橋), Taipei County, and attend Yo-yo Ma’s (馬友友) Lunar New Year concert at the National Concert Hall in the evening, while Siew will travel to Hualien.
Ma will visit three more temples on Saturday and attend Lunar New Year’s events in Taichung City and Kaohsiung City. He will also visit senior presidential adviser Lin Yang-kang (林洋港) in Taichung City and attend the opening ceremony of Kaohsiung City’s Lantern Festival.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
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