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1.31m sign protest petition

Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday received more than 30 opposition legislators who brought with them more than 1.31 million signatures they collected in a campaign against high tuition, health insurance premium increases and rising unemployment.

The KMT and PFP legislators refused to listen to briefings being given by Cabinet officials during the meeting. They left 30 minutes after delivering the petition, accusing the Executive Yuan of ignoring the will of the great majority of the people.

Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), Executive Yuan Secretary-General Liu Shih-feng (劉世芳), Department of Health Director General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), Minister of Education Huang Jung-chun (黃榮村), Council of Labor Affairs Chairman Chen Chu (陳菊) and Council for Economic Planning and Development Vice Chairman Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) were on hand at the meeting and were prepared for the briefing.

Yu said that the Cabinet, in a manner of "sincerity and rational communication," wanted to take the chance to explain to the legislators so as to establish positive exchanges with them.

Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), executive director of the KMT's Central Policy Committee, said the opposition alliance last year had repeatedly raised the issues of high tuition, health insurance premium increases, and high unemployment, but the Executive Yuan had turned a deaf ear to them, even ignoring a request by the Control Yuan, the nation's top watchdog body, to review the decision-making process to increase health insurance premiums.

"The more than 1,314,000 signatures we brought here today against the `three increases' reflects the mainstream view of the people and their indignation," Tseng said.

Chen Chien-jen then told the legislators that Taiwan's health insurance system is "world-class" system. Some legislators got up to leave upon hearing the words, saying that they had come "to petition, not to listen to a briefing."

In the awkward atmosphere, Yu interceded and persuaded them to return to their seats and listen to briefings by the education minister, the CEPD vice chairman and the vice premier on the issues of high tuition and high unemployment.

Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進), KMT party whip in the Legislature, said that from listening to the briefings by the Cabinet officials, one might think the three problems do not exist in Taiwan, lamenting that the voices of the more than 1.31 million signatures had apparently fallen on deaf ears.

Lee then led the legislators away, saying that if the ruling party was not going to show them any substance, or "beef," in dealing with the three issues, then the meeting "had better end here."
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