The three administrative regions that benefit most from the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program are governed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which shows that the scheme does not favor the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday.
Ranked by benefit per capita, Lienchiang County at NT$324,400 (US$10,213) per resident has received the most from the program, followed by Taitung County (NT$95,600 per resident) and Nantou County (NT$48,400), NDC Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) told reporters after an Executive Yuan meeting in Taipei.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said that the program is not politically biased and is focused on balancing national development.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
On Monday, KMT caucus members said that the program was “ineffective” and “increased debt that would be shouldered by future generations.”
The KMT advocates cutting the debt ceiling that the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is bound by, which is NT$1.2 trillion, the KMT members said.
Executive Yuan spokesman Lin Tzu-lun (林子倫), quoting Chen, said that the forward-looking program would build the foundation for the happiness of future generations and increase Taiwan’s international visibility.
The program has provided significant infrastructure development, balanced development across regions, boosted the quality of life for residents and driven economic growth, allowing Taiwan to have infrastructure that can compete with South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, Lin quoted Chen as saying.
“We do not agree that [our policies will cause] our progeny to shoulder [the burdens of] our debts,” Lin said, quoting Chen, adding that Taiwan has cut back on incurred debt and increased repayments since the program started.
Infrastructure created under the project is the main reason Taiwan did not suffer too much during the past two water shortages, having been able to provide potable water, even with a 420-fold increase in turbidity in the Gaoping River (高屏溪) during Typhoon Khanun, Chen was quoted as saying.
The World Competitiveness Ranking compiled by the Lausanne, Switzerland-based International Institute for Management Development ranked Taiwan sixth in overall competitiveness and 12th for infrastructure programs, he said.
“This is proof that the forward-looking program is working,” he added.
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