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'Modest' president looks to cooperate with the opposition

In the face of the losses suffered by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in last Saturday's legislative elections, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said he would take a moderate attitude in terms of a government reshuffle and would seek to negotiate and cooperate with the opposition camp.

"With the greatest sincerity, I hope the government and the opposition can find some common ground on which we can base joint efforts to devote ourselves to our beloved Taiwan and the democracy and justice that we cherish," Chen said yesterday morning at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport upon his return from a five-day trip to allies Guatemala and Saint Lucia.

Even though he embarked on his overseas trip a day after last Saturday's elections, Chen said he has been thinking over the past few days about how to advance national security, social justice, the nation's development and the public good now that the election was over.

"The government team I lead will have a more modest, cautious, pragmatic and responsible attitude to everything," Chen said.

Commenting on Chen's remarks, DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said:"The public would be happy to see the government and the opposition solving any problems through negotiation, but actions speaker louder than words."

During a stopover at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska on his way home, Chen was greeted by Robert Wang (王曉岷), the deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Taipei Office and US Senator Lisa Murkowski.

At a press conference at the airport, Chen said that the new single-district, two vote system had been a big factor in the election results and showed the need to adjust the Constitution and the electoral and referendum laws so that public opinion would be fully reflected in future elections.
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