President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), in his capacity as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, yesterday went on the offensive, aiming to boost support for the party in the Nov. 29 elections, charging that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has hindered the nation’s progress.
In his speech at the KMT national congress held in Chiayi City, Ma accused the DPP of trampling on the democratic spirit of majority decisionmaking by occupying the podium at the Legislative Yuan 92 times over the past six years, preventing bipartisan dialogue and engaging in what he termed endless boycotts.
“This attitude of extreme conceit bent on excluding outsiders, humiliating officials and playing games with specific bills is the biggest crisis Taiwan currently faces,” Ma said.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Ma said the DPP used violent tactics that would not help solve any of the nation’s problems, adding that if the opposition party truly “loved Taiwan” as it said, it should cease actions that lead to infighting and wasting resources.
“Return to the true path of democracy and persuade the people with civilized conduct,” Ma said.
The public’s loyalty to the system far exceeds the interests of any political party, or concerns over an individual candidate’s success or failures at elections, Ma said, adding that such was the value of Taiwanese democracy and why the governments and people of the world have praised the nation for its peaceful transition of government.
Photo: CNA
Ma said that the DPP used “all sorts of reasons” to malign the rightful power of government accorded to the KMT by the Constitution and are attempting to bully the majority into submitting to the will of the few. Ma then accused the DPP of abusing its role as the opposition party.
Appealing to voters for support in the Nov. 29 elections, Ma said “The KMT is a party local to Taiwan, it is progressive and forward-looking, practical and responsible, and it is a diverse party that is willing to embrace changing times.”
Ma said that people spread across Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu might have come from different places and have different histories, but the acceptance of multicultural society is what makes Taiwan precious.
“The Aborigines may believe in ancestral spirits and rainbow bridges, the earlier Han immigrants remember the sadness inherent in their relocation to Taiwan, the people following the Nationalist government to Taiwan in 1949 remembered having to leave their homes and families behind, while the newer immigrants — such as foreign spouses — have the hope that over time this land will become their home,” Ma said, adding that “no matter who came first, no matter where we had come from, we are now all Taiwanese.”
“On this land, people of any culture and ethnicity are welcome to work side by side, to sweat and toil over the common goal of making Taiwan better; the embracing of multiple diverse cultures is the cornerstone of democracy,” he said.
“We are the most localized of all political parties,” Ma said, adding that “any supporter of the KMT would be able to walk tall and say: ‘I’m Taiwanese, I support the KMT.’”
In his speech, Ma also enumerated what the KMT has accomplished at the local, county and national levels.
The party’s members promoted competition capability for cities, encouraged the birth rate and introduced new vitality in business sectors through finding new investors, as well as increasing the number of jobs in cities where KMT members governed.
“We are telling the public by our actions and achievements that the KMT is better than the DPP at local government,” Ma said.
Additional reporting by CNA
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
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
RSS