On the eve of Taiwan's entry to the WTO, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Taking his campaign to southern Taiwan, Lee said the nation's agriculture must to be transformed and made more effective by combining agriculture and tourism. Farming must also be replaced by "processing," according to Lee, who holds a PhD in agricultural economics.
Receiving a warm welcome in the south, the 78-year-old former president yesterday waved to the crowds as he stepped out of his car to tour local streets on a slow- moving truck.
Lee, campaigning for the TSU, was in friendly territory as he returned to the regions of Chiayi and Tainan, where his most loyal supporters live. The area is also home to the strongest support for Lee's localization policies.
The former president said the country's agriculture sector would be affected the most by Taiwan's admission to the WTO, but told supporters at the rally, most of whom were farmers, not to worry because the government has been preparing for this day for years.
"The government should set up a fund of NT$100 billion to help farmers cope with losses, but farmers must also come up with measures to tough out the situation," Lee said.
To turn agriculture into a more profitable sector, the former KMT chairman suggested farmers also develop tourism, making use of their agricultural products.
In addition, farming itself should not be the only solution, Lee said. Farmers should know how to process raw materials to make more lucrative products, then export these high-quality goods to the US and European markets.
To demonstrate to supporters in the south the problems faced by the DPP government resulting from the opposition boycott, Lee cited the passage of the 42-hour workweek.
"It was the KMT who proposed the 42-hour workweek [from the 48-hour workweek,] which caused the exodus of Taiwan's business sector and led to the highest unemployment rate ever," Lee told the rally.
"How are they [the KMT] entitled to hold a demonstration [against the DPP's economic record]? It is truly absurd."
Lee was responding to a parade organized by the KMT yesterday in Taipei, where KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lee then introduced initiatives that he believes would improve Taiwan's economy. He proposed that the government issue public bonds to invest in infrastructure, push for the establishment of a free-trade agreement with the US and attract foreign capital to invest in Taiwan to boost the stock market.
But all of these schemes cannot be implemented without cooperation from the legislature, Lee said.
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