Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) in his first address to the legislature yesterday called for reconciliation among political parties, while vowing to return a set of controversial bills for reconsideration if experts conclude they would be difficult to execute.
The Executive Yuan, as an apparatus born of the Constitution and bound to oversee law-based administration, must loyally uphold and protect the document, Cho said.
Regarding a set of controversial amendments to the Act Governing the Legislative Yuan’s Power (立法院職權行使法) and the Criminal Code passed earlier this week, Cho reiterated his stance that the Cabinet would send it back to the legislature for another review if experts determine they would be difficult to execute — a power accorded to the Executive Yuan under the Additional Articles of the Constitution.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Cho vowed that as premier, he would try to bridge the gap between the public and the government when working to resolve issues of public concern.
He cited the announcement of the second edition of the government’s “Anti-fraud Strategy Guidelines” as an example of the government’s efforts to crack down on one such issue.
The changes call for setting up a fraud reporting platform among other efforts to raise crime-fighting capabilities, he said.
Cho also expressed hope that anti-fraud bills that were sent to the legislature last month for review would be passed soon, which include measures that would hold multinational digital companies offering ad services accountable for fraudulent content on their platforms and increase penalties for those convicted of fraud.
The Executive Yuan also increased its budget for Hualien County’s reconstruction after the April 3 earthquake to NT$30 billion (US$925.4 million), he said.
The increased funding should expedite compensation for, relocation or rent subsidies for people affected by the earthquake, as well as go toward efforts to revitalize the local industry and economy, subsidies to boost tourism traffic, generate cash flow for regional governments and provide financial relief, he said.
On economic affairs, Cho said that the government would enact measures to encourage Taiwanese businesses abroad to reinvest in Taiwan, strengthening the nation’s connection with the international community.
He also vowed that the government would pursue talks with like-minded countries to develop bilateral or multilateral, collaborative deals, as well as continue efforts to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
Addressing energy issues, Cho said that the government plans to invest NT$900 billion by 2030 to attract foreign and local investments in the power industry to achieve the nation’s goals of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 and promoting a nuclear-free nation.
The government is also spending NT$40 billion to promote pedestrian safety and would collaborate with local governments to achieve the goal of halving pedestrian deaths by 2030, he said.
Ministry of Transportation and Communications statistics showed that pedestrian deaths last year stood at 380, down by 14 compared with 2022.
Cho said he had approved increasing a budget for food safety projects under the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program by NT$1.1 billion, bringing the project’s total funding up to NT$7.4 billion, which would help labs process test results faster.
In terms of national security, the Cabinet would follow the president’s “four pillars” plan for peace and prosperity, he said.
Lai, then the vice president, first mentioned the plan in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year.
The four pillars are: bolstering Taiwan’s military deterrence, equating economic security with national security, developing partnerships with the world’s democracies, and steady and principled cross-strait leadership.
Additional reporting by CNA
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