President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday continued his attack on the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, blaming it for the poorly maintained infrastructure of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
“The DPP acted slowly on the renovation of the airport; the renovation plan was not finalized until last year,” Ma said as he addressed the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Advisory Committee at party headquarters in his capacity as KMT chairman.
Ma accused the former DPP government of a failure to put enough investment in public construction projects. The airport, for instance, should have begun reconstruction projects 10 years ago, he said.
The airport has recently been inundated with criticism of its poorly maintained runways, lack of baggage carts and a leaky roof in one of its terminals.
Following the collapse of a jet bridge at Terminal 2 last month, which raised further questions about the soundness of airport facilities, toilets near the shuttle bus waiting area at Terminal 2 were flooded on Friday because of clogged pipes.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration began a renovation project at the airport’s Terminal 1 last month.
Ma also blamed former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and many former DPP government officials for being involved in corruption.
Ma went on to say the establishment of an anti-corruption commission would buttress government efforts to combat corruption.
Ma made similar criticisms of the DPP on Saturday during the KMT’s convention, as he accused the former DPP administration of causing great damage to Taiwan with a string of corruption scandals and its closed-door policy.
DPP spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) rejected Ma’s criticism over the past two days and urged the Ma government to avoid turning the opposition into a scapegoat for its current problems.
“These recent comments from the KMT fail to show how it will live up to the public’s expectations. Instead, it continues to blame its own failure in governance on the former government,” he said.
On the issue of the airport, Lin said its biggest problems were not due to a lack of upgrades, but instead a failure in management.
“For example, control tower officials drinking on the job and allegations of sexual harassment are clear indications of the problems in management,” he said.
Instead, he cited information on how the previous government finished construction of the second terminal, made preparations for building a third terminal and started construction of the airport MRT line as examples of how it was committed to the airport’s development.
Other development projects finished by the former DPP administration include the passage of the Hsuehshan Tunnel between Taipei and Yilan, the upgrading of Kaohsiung’s container port, the creation of science parks in the central and southern regions of the country, as well as plans to attract business and investment, Lin said.
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