The KMT yesterday attacked the new government, alleging slowness and vacillation in the execution of policy, ambiguity in its cross-strait stance, and for sacrificing people's rights in order to satisfy President Chen Shui-bian's (
But the president appealed to the public to allow it more time to carry out its policies according to their order of priority.
The KMT's attacks came from heavyweights, who, in the party's Central Standing Committee meeting said that the government's recent handling of financial policy had caused the continuing fall of the stock market and that its "ambiguous" stance in cross-strait matters posed risks to Taiwan.
"Chen Shui-bian's government has neither respected the constitution nor solved the cross-strait problem," said KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Some Central Standing Committee members who served as financial officials in the previous government also accused the new government of misusing the government's budget in order to implement Chen's social welfare policy.
"The new government is to spend NT$23 billion to implement Chen Shui-bian's campaign platforms [a reference to the program of stipends for the elderly] but cannot find NT$6 billion to raise the salaries of government officials, military personnel and teachers," said Wei Duan (韋端), former director general of the Directorate General of Budgets, Accounting and Statistics.
Meanwhile, Chen told repre-sentatives of disabled groups at the Presidential Office yesterday morning that he realized that people expected the new government to carry out its campaign promises as soon as possible, but that the government had its own policy-making priorities.
"The most important task facing the new government at present is to create stability: to consolidate and maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and to attain social stability," President Chen said, adding, "If we didn't do that, people wouldn't be in a position to enjoy any social welfare measures that we might implement."
President Chen then reaffirmed that the new government hoped to improve welfare measures intended for the elderly, the disabled, and for special education, as long as government finances allowed it to do so.
Joking, Chen said that he "understood" that people had very high expectations, demanding that the new government "accomplish its entire campaign platform by May 21," the day after the president's inauguration.
"However," he said, "all policy implementation relating to my campaign platform needs to be backed up by revisions of current laws and regulations, balanced budgets and the cooperation of lawmakers."
The president said that he would have no regrets "if I can only carry out my campaign promises gradually, within the four-year presidential term."
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