While Taiwan's society enjoys the liberties of freedom of speech and democracy, said President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said that some media opinions show a lack of in-depth perspective and social responsibility, regardless of the liberty of free speech.
He also pointed out that rational debate was not applied in all public policy discussions, because political positions were often the determining factor.
Chen said the country became a full-fledged democracy after the peaceful transfer of power three years ago, but pointed out that there is a long way to go in terms of building a more rational and tolerant society where differing opinions can be respected.
Giving a speech prior to the opening of a seminar held by the Taiwan Economy and Industry Association -- a commercial group launched by the party's New Tide faction -- Chen said he couldn't sleep well whenever he thought that the opposition parties "oppose the DPP just for the sake of being contrary."
He cited the controversy over to a NT$50 billion public-construction package as an example.
The opposition parties have blocked the Executive Yuan's proposition to use loans to finance its NT$50 billion public construction package.
That package, along with the NT$20 billion public-service program, is designed to raise the GDP by 0.38 percent and bring the unemployment rate down by 0.5 percent by the end of the year.
Chen said the government hopes to expand public services and public construction to help workers weather the recession.
The opposition parties boycotted the proposal simply because it was a policy initiated by the DPP, Chen said.
The meaningless boycott, Chen said, was like "rubbing salt in a wound" for workers.
He said he hoped the association would produce professional assessments and rational discussions to help evaluate public polices, thereby aiding the effort to drive endless confrontation out of politics.
Addressing the economic situation, Chen said increased globalization and trade liberalization are two immediate goals for the nation after its entry into the WTO.
He added that more consideration should be given to Taiwan's special political conditions when mapping out industrial policies.
Chen again countered the assertion that the opening of direct links is a panacea for the ailing economy. He stressed that Taiwan will not disregard the significance of the Chinese market, but pointed out that it was by no means the only market in the world, nor is it the last market which ought to be considered.
RSS