Hsieh stays overnight at Shihmen

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) spent Wednesday night at Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) to personally oversee efforts to resolve the water supply problem in Taoyuan County.

The political career of Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) appeared safe yesterday after water supplies to southern Taoyuan were fully restored by midnight last night, while supplies to northern Taoyuan are being maintained on a rotational basis.

Ho promised to step down if the water supply in southern Taoyuan County was not fully restored by tomorrow.

Water Resources Agency authorities called on people in the south of the county to use water sparingly so that residents living toward the end of the water mains would receive supplies.

Commenting President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remark on Wednesday that he hoped the premier would take responsibility for solving the problem as soon as possible, Hsieh said yesterday morning that the president is also under a lot of pressure.

"If I do a bad job, it means the president made the wrong decision in appointing me," Hsieh said. "If I were lazy or constantly making mistakes, that means he did not know how to pick the right person to be premier."

Hsieh at the reservoir late Wednesday night and returned to Taipei yesterday afternoon to freshen up, saying that he by returning home he would leave more water for county residents.

He said that he would return to the dam again if necessary.

Hsieh that it was not the first time he had spent the night in a county where there was a water-shortage problem. He also said his overnight stay was not a ploy to keep his job.

"The Democratic Progressive Party is a party that makes the people and public interest its top priority," he said. "As premier, I feel a heavy burden on my shoulders when I see that the water-shortage problem remains unsolved."

Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus whip Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) said that his caucus was very disappointed with the government's performance in dealing with the matter.

"The administration cannot even handle a water problem. It's pathetic that the premier has to jump to the frontline to spend the night in Taoyuan and serve as an economics minister, water agency director and water corporation chairman," Cho said. "Such a government is no longer trustworthy."

Cho the government should have established silt-cleaning pipes and also ensured that a land conservation project up stream from Shihmen Reservoir was completely carried out.