President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday he would not resign over his government’s response to Typhoon Morakot, but apologized for any shortcomings.
“I will not run from my responsibilities,” Ma said.
“I know there are areas to improve and as president, I have to shoulder the responsibility for [victims’] relocation and resettlement in the future,” he said. “I cannot escape my duties.”
PHOTO: TSAI TSUNG-HSUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Leading Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏), Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) and Central Emergency Operations Center Commander Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) in a deep bow — a symbolic apology — Ma said that as the leader of the country he would take full responsibility for all the mistakes made during the disaster and that he wanted to offer his most sincere apology to the public, especially those who lost loved ones.
Ma had apologized on Saturday for the pace of rescue efforts, but blamed the weather and road conditions. Ma said yesterday that had it not been for bad weather, the rescue efforts would have been better and started earlier. He promised to review the rescue system, correct problems in the system and punish those officials responsible, hoping to finalize the penalties by early next month.
Ma also apologized for “improper” remarks he made during inspection trips to disaster areas, saying the way he expressed himself had mistakenly caused people to think he was arrogant and aloof.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
He blamed the public impression of the “slow” and “disorderly” relief efforts on “poor communication.”
As Chen dismissed criticism that the military reacted too slowly, Ma said he thought he demonstrated “strong leadership” amid the crisis by ordering the military to increase their participation in the rescue operation.
Asked whether he thought the manner in which he handled the aftermath of Morakot was comparable to the US government’s much criticized handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Ma didn’t answer the question, instead insisting that he had exercised “strong leadership, but not necessarily in the face of the media.”
PHOTO: CNA
“We are working actually by the system instead of by the individual,” he said.
While some have accused Ma of forgetting his role as commander-in-chief, Ma said he did not necessarily have to take charge when disaster struck because his job was to “mobilize people and resources” so they could be allocated more effectively.
Ma proposed replacing the National Fire Administration with a disaster prevention and rescue agency under the Ministry of the Interior. Local governments should also establish disaster prevention bureaus, he said. He promised to equip them with sufficient manpower and budget for more effective operations.
The military should include disaster prevention to its mission, he said. To better equip search and rescue teams, Ma said his administration would buy 45 Black Hawk helicopters, 15 fewer than the original plan. The NT$10 billion (US$300 million) saved would be spent on improving the equipment of the National Airborne Services Corps.
The government will map out a standard operation procedure for compulsory evacuation programs and educate the public on the matter. Emphasizing the importance of relocating mudslide-prone hillside villages, Ma said the Executive Yuan was reviewing the National Land Development Plan (國土計畫法).
Ma also announced that Double Ten National Day celebrations and his planned trip to South Pacific allied countries would be canceled because of the disaster.
Commenting on Ma’s press conference, Lee Mao-sheng (李茂盛), a retired policeman in Kaohsiung County’s Namasiya Township (那瑪夏), said that an apology was not enough.
“What type of government leaves its people in pouring rain for three days before it begins rescue work?” Lee said.
Xiaolin Village (小林) survivors said that without having paid them a visit since the storm struck, Ma’s press conference was meaningless to the victims.
Xiaolin Self-Help Association spokesman Tsai Song-yu (蔡松諭) said his villagers demanded that Ma come and pay his respects to the souls of the dead on the 14th day after their deaths.
According to traditional Taiwanese belief, family members of the deceased prepare a treat for their loved ones and hold religious rituals every seven days for 49 days.
“Don’t you think that after a disaster of this magnitude, the president should come?” Tsai said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS