The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will continue to supervise President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration in its role as the opposition party, KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said yesterday, after Tsai was sworn in for a second term in Taipei.
“Each time a president takes an oath of office it is an important step for the Republic of China’s democratic system,” Chiang said in his opening remarks at the weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.
A president’s inaugural speech, in which they outline their vision for the nation, is a “solemn promise” to the public, he said.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Chiang said Tsai has “bounced the check” on nearly all the promises she made in front of the Presidential Office Building four years ago during her first inaugural address.
For many people, life has become more difficult, he said, adding that young people face tougher circumstances, the hole in the social safety net has grown and trust in the judicial system has not improved.
Cross-strait relations have regressed, and Taiwan has lost seven allies under Tsai’s leadership, he said.
A survey released by the KMT Culture and Communications Committee on Tuesday is a testament to people’s dissatisfaction, he said.
While the KMT approves of most of the steps the Tsai administration has taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the confusion over the government’s relief programs suggest that the administration is not in touch with the common people, he said.
Calling the KMT the “defender of the Republic of China,” Chiang said the party would continue to supervise the government, propose policies, expose illegal activities and facilitate dialogue across party lines.
Tsai’s inaugural address was mainly a repetition of what she said at her first inauguration, KMT Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang said in a statement.
Over the past four years, the problems that she mentioned in the 2016 address have not been solved, Wang said in the statement.
Tsai has forgotten the promises she made to workers, failed to close the gaps in the nation’s social security net, and neglected the problem of a declining birthrate and aging population, she said.
The Tsai administration is behind on the timetable it set for renewable energy, she said, adding that while Tsai had promised to try to improve the gender ratio in her Cabinet, her Cabinet today is less gender-balanced than it was four years ago.
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