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Chang: Economy is `basically good'

Amid rising complaints over reports on the soaring prices of daily necessities, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday urged the public to stay calm, saying that the nation's economy is "basically good."

Chang said official statistics showed that Taiwan's exports in September amounted to US$22.2 billion, "a new high" in the nation's export record.

Official records also showed growth in the nation's stock and real estate markets over the past two months, Chang said, adding that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has been putting greater emphasis on both economic development and the nation's dignity.

"Over the past five months, we have indeed put more focus on these two agendas. We made efforts to raise Taiwanese consciousness and seek Taiwan's entry to the UN. We also announced one beneficial policy every week in a bid to fight for Taiwan's economic sustainability," Chang said.

"In our efforts to promote economic development, we also gave consideration to [the rights of] laborers, veterans and poor families, and to social justice," Chang said, adding that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) both give weight to these two issues.

SPECULATION

Chang made the remarks in response to a question from the press on whether Chen and Hsieh were at odds with each other over cross-strait economic policies.

The speculation came after Chen said on Tuesday that he would not relax the 40 percent cap on investment in China although Hsieh had just proposed to ease the regulations the previous day.

Chang dismissed the media speculation yesterday, saying that Hsieh had simply been stressing the economic issue on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus lashed out at Chen yesterday over his remark on Thursday in response to a protester who shouted at him during Chen's visit to an audio equipment exhibition in Taipei.

When Chen was speaking with reporters on the sidelines of the exhibition, a male protester nearby yelled: "People can barely make a living."

The president at the time responded that he would respect the voice of the people, but at a separate setting later, he fired back, saying that "if the person who can barely make a living can still visit the audio equipment exhibition, Taiwan is not bad [afterall]."

KMT legislators yesterday panned the president as a "fatuous and self-indulgent ruler" and urged him to "show more empathy" for the people.

KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday also condemned the president for arguing against the complaint and setting a bad example.

"The harsh remarks made by those politicians are ruining the country's core values. The government is living in its small world and has failed to understand the people's feelings and expectations," Ma said during a media gathering in Taipei.

As a political party that was developed from the grassroots, Ma said he was astonished to learn that the DPP has turned into a party that did not listen to the people's voice anymore.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih

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