Soong slams Chen over `FEER' interview

PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday criticized the government for putting "politics first and the economy second," citing an interview with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the latest issue of Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER).

Soong displayed the magazine with a picture of Chen on the cover during a labor-award ceremony held by the Chinese Federation of Labor of Republic of China (中華民國全國總工會). He was the guest speaker at the ceremony.

He blasted the ruling party for aggravating Taiwan's relationship with China, thereby worsening the nation's economic development.

"Chen keeps telling the people to study English harder, but it is he who should read this article carefully," Soong said. "Under his government, the economic situation keeps worsening. His government has made the relationship between the two sides of Taiwan Strait more complicated, which has led to our nation losing more and more opportunities."

In the FEER interview, Chen rejected the idea of direct links with China if Beijing insists on the links being conducted under its "one China" principle.

"Chen is provoking China at the expense of business," Soong said. "How can our economic situation become better when he [Chen] puts politics first and the economy second?"

He said more workers have lost their jobs since the DPP took office and the government has done nothing to solve the problem.

"The DPP government would rather spend NT$1 trillion on saving broke banks. But who will care for the rights of the workers?" he said, adding that the pan-blue camp would "put politics aside and focus on economic issues."