President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the government’s reform program cannot be completed within a year and great patience would be needed to introduce all the planned reforms.
Tsai made the statement during a meeting with a delegation from a Taiwanese association from Thailand.
Noting that the government has just marked its first anniversary in office, Tsai said that despite strong resistance from the opposition, her administration would push ahead with the reforms, including to the pension system, and projects aimed at upgrading the nation’s economy and infrastructure.
There will inevitably be difficulties as the government pushes on with the reforms, she added.
Tsai said that after one year, pension reform is now entering its final phase, adding that she believes the legislature would soon pass legislation to reform the pension system.
“This problem has existed for decades, but we have tackled it in just one year,” Tsai said.
To turn the nation into a “nuclear power-free homeland,” the government enacted a revised law last year to phase out nuclear power generation by 2025 and increase renewable energy sources, Tsai said.
The nation’s wind-power projects have attracted nearly NT$1 trillion (US$33.28 billion) in foreign investment, she added.
The legislature also passed a law on long-term care services as part of an effort to increase funding and the availability of quality care for elder and disabled people, Tsai said.
The president also mentioned the NT$882.49 billion Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, saying it would accelerate the nation’s development and enhance competitiveness by investing in infrastructure.
The president said the government would continue to push ahead with its ambitious reform program, but it would take time for all of the reforms to be fully implemented.
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