President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that his administration would listen to the voices of the people and try to make improvements, but that all cross-strait negotiations have been conducted under the principles of dignity, equality and reciprocity and that Taiwan’s sovereignty has never and will never be compromised.
“The government will carefully listen to their opinions and try to improve,” he said. “The public can rest assured that the country’s sovereignty is not lost. Besides, our policy tallies with the actual demands.”
Ma made the remarks at the Hsinchu Science Park yesterday afternoon as he kept himself busy away from Taipei City where a mass protest sponsored by the Democratic Progressive Party condemned the government’s China-leaning policy.
Earlier in the day he attended a job fair in Taipei County.
Ma said he could understand and empathize with the protesters, but he hoped the demonstrations could end peacefully and satisfactorily after all opinions were voiced.
“We hope that when everyone is done protesting they will peacefully leave the site,” Ma said. “They can relax. All of our talks with mainland China are done under the premise of equality and respect. We haven’t lost our sovereignty.”
At the job fair, Ma said the economy had improved and confidence had been restored, but the situation was still bad and it was necessary to work hard to improve it.
Ma said the economy has showed signs of turning around since the beginning of the year, with first-time jobless applicants for government aid dropping from 28,000 to 21,000 and those taking non-paid leave declining from 220,000 to 150,000.
“I call on everybody to work harder and be more cool,” he said. “Although the overall environment is bad, we can do the best we can. If we grit our teeth and keep on going, it will be over soon.”
Ma said college graduates who are having a hard time finding a job should be flexible and consider jobs unrelated to their major, saying they spent four years in college but their life might last for more than 40 years.
“After graduating from college, you will have time to study in 10 more universities,” he said. “There are so many opportunities out there. Don’t impose restrictions on yourself.”
Ma said the central and local governments would make an all-out effort to help people land a job. But a career change was not a bad idea, he said.
The job fair attracted about 30 companies, which were offering a total of 900 jobs, while the Taipei City Government was seeking to fill another 3,000 jobs.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY REUTERS
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