President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has pledged in his weekly newsletter that he will do his best to bridge the gap between the political parties in the wake of the Dec. 3 local elections.
In the latest issue of the "A-Bian E-Newspaper," which is published today, the president said the confrontation between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition parties over the last five years has seriously affected the functioning of government and damaged the interests of all Taiwanese people.
Saying that he was deeply touched by recent letters that he had received from the public via the e-newsletter, the president said he had gained some useful insights into public opinion about the current political situation.
Stable environment
"People want to see a stable political environment, which will allow all the parties to work together. I'd like to take the lead in dealing with the political turbulence. I hope all the parties can compete in a positive way and fight together for the national interest," Chen said.
The president said that the DPP's defeat in the local elections earlier this month would definitely not affect the government's persistence in the promotion of Taiwanese consciousness, more democratic reform and clean governance.
Among the letters Chen received, some senders expressed their disappointment about the continuing struggle among the various factions of the DPP, while others said they would like to have more information about whether Chen was involved in or had managed to stay detached from the party in-fighting.
Reform support
Others said that they firmly supported the government's plans for reforming the 18 percent preferential interest rates for retired public servants and military personnel and also tackling the illegally-gained assets of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Others suggested the president should learn when to keep quiet on important issues and when to leave dealing with the media and rumors to experts and so prevent such events from hurting relations between the nation's political parties.
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