Sun, Feb 15, 2004 page3

• Chen and Lien face the nation

  During yesterday's historic televised presidential election debate, the two candidates were first grilled by a panel of questionmasters and then faced each other in a back-and-forth question session. The following are edited transcripts of the debate

  • Transcribed by Cody Yiu and Joy Su / STAFF REPORTERS
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  Wang jung-chang (王榮璋): spokesperson of the pan-purple alliance: in the past three years, the government has lowered the tax rate, but this has mostly benefited financial conglomerates. After you have been elected, how will you reform the taxation system?

  Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁): While the highest income bracket earns 6.16 times more than people in the lowest bracket, the tax burden for the high-income sector is actually 12 times greater.

  Tax reduction doesn't necessarily reduce tax revenue, because according to statistics tax reduction increases land tax revenue. As far as tax reform is concerned, I will respect the opinion of professionals.

  

  President Chen Shui-bian, right, the Democratic Progressive Party's presidential candidate, pats the back of Lien Chan, the Chinese Nationalist Party's candidate, as they enter a Public Television Service studio yesterday for Taiwan's first-ever televised debate between presidential candidates. In the game of mahjong, opponents traditionally attempt to pat each other on the back before playing as it is thought to bestow bad luck.

  PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

  Lien Chan (連戰): The ruling party should be held accountable for the increasing income gap. In the past, high-income households made four times as much as low-income households, but under the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) rule, it is now six times as much. The focus of the taxation system should be on the high-technology and financial holding sector.

  Cyrus Chin-yi Chu (朱敬一), research fellow of the Academia Sinica: In the past 13 years, the nation's deficit has grown dramatically. How will you handle the national budget deficit?

  Lien: First, I propose an annual economic growth of five percent. Second, tax revenue must grow and the taxation system needs to be reformed. Third, execution of budget planning needs to be more efficient. Fourth, non-profit funds need to be strengthened. Fifth, build-operate-transfer projects need to be improved. Sixth, the government needs to give more opportunities to the private sector to invest in projects. Finally, the government needs to improve the management of human resources.

  Chen: The DPP administration incurred a debt of just over NT$90 billion each year, but the KMT incurred a debt of over NT$190 billion per year. That's twice as much as the DPP's debt.

  Huang Kun-yen (黃崑巖), director of the Medical Evaluation Committee of the National Health Research Institute: What sort of educational reform do we need, in terms of international competition and societal contribution?

  Chen: The reason we propose educational reform is so that all children will receive a well-rounded education. Students should have to take fewer tests and sleep more. They should be given more choices and opportunities. I propose that every county and city should have its own national university. In the past four years, allocations for education and the high-tech sector were increased by 10 percent, and were unaffected by the declining economy.

  Lien: I agree that each region should have a university.

  Shirley Lin (林靜萍), executive-general of the Judicial Reform Committee: During the 1999 National Judicial Reform Seminar, both parties agreed to pass the Organic Law of the Judicial Yuan (司法院組織法) by October of last year. However, the pan-blue camp has continued to block the passage of this law. Has the pan-blue camp's position changed?

  Lien: I still hold the same stance, but the Organic Law of the Judicial Yuan involves too many different issues that we have failed to reach agreement on. For instance, we failed to decide on the boundaries of a proposed Supreme Court that would serve to interpret the constitution. Also, there was no agreement on how to simplify the legal process of handling a case. We also had no conclusion on the age requirement and credentials of grand justices.

  Chen: Lien was also present at the 1999 National Judicial Reform Seminar, so why does the pan-blue camp continue to oppose the passage of the Organic Law of the Judicial Yuan? The opposition party has made boycotting a habit.

  Wang Yeh-lih (王業立), chairman of Tunghai University's department of political science: Taiwan's political culture is often viewed negatively. As political activists, how will you improve the political culture?

  Chen: In the past three years, I have been consistently criticized, but I know that false accusations will disappear with time. If someone has to be injured, I don't mind being the one, but I don't want to be the leader of an injured nation. Also, after the presidential election on March 20, I propose that it be made mandatory that the president's personal assets should be held in trust.

  Lien: Chen ruled the country based on ideology and put the emphasis on reelection.

  Wang Jung-chang: If we are to continue with the system of granting retired military personnel, civil servants and teachers 18 percent interest rates, and in addition grant this benefit to laborers, where will the money come from?

  Lien: There is a historical reason for the 18 percent interest benefit. At the time, people working in the said professions met with much difficulty. There are roughly 140,000 laborers in Taiwan. We would need NT$9.4 billion to bring laborers into the system.

  Chen: According to Lien's proposal, the policy will take up NT$500 billion per year of the national fiscal budget each year, taking money away from other areas. The reason Lien favors the 18 percent interest rate is clear -- the interest that he earns from this benefit is more than I make as president.

  Chu: In the past, the government has been very involved in both state and private enterprises. How would you propose to cut down on inappropriate government interference in the market?

  Chen: After I was elected president in 2000, both China Shipbuilding and Tang Eng Iron Works began turning a profit despite having been plagued by debt. In addition, the management of these state enterprises are not all necessarily DPP supporters.

  Lien: Since the DPP became the ruling party, they reshuffled the management team of many state enterprises, putting DPP supporters in important management positions.

  I propose that there should be an independent committee to select the managerial personnel.

  Huang: Education has long been a controversial problem and is an issue that surpasses political power transfers. What are the main problems that you see with the nation's educational system?

  Lien: We need to encourage students to work for a PhD, standardize the textbooks, put the brunt of college admissions on the national entrance exams, and change the nine-year general education program to six years.

  Chen: If we give up on the nine-year general education system, we would be taking steps backwards. Unlike with the KMT, college fees and interest rates on student loans dropped under the Chen administration.

  Wang Yeh-lih: How would you implement the constitutional system as president and how would you define the interaction between the Presidential Office and the Executive Yuan?

  Lien: Whether you agree with the Constitution or not, you have to respect it. Any problems we have with the Constitution now are not a result of the Constitution itself but of the leader who implements it. Before it is changed, you have to abide by it in its current form.

  Chen: I respect the Constitution, but our current Constitution fails to define our current governmental system. Right now, our government subscribes to neither a true presidential nor a parliamentary system. Lien himself wanted to be both the vice president and the premier -- he is the one who is going against the constitution's principles.
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