Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) today vowed to make improvements and enhance communication between the different branches of government, after polls showed low approval ratings for the current administration.
The most recent approval rating for the Executive Yuan stood at 52 percent dissatisfaction, while President William Lai (賴清德) was facing an all-time low.
Cho made the comments to reporters before attending a special Legislative Yuan session on post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts following Typhoon Danas and heavy rainfall last month.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
In addition to pushing its policies forward, the Executive Yuan has also been reviewing where it has failed to fully communicate its pace of progress to the public, Cho said.
In the coming year, the Executive Yuan is to use the general budget as a way to reflect public expectations, he added.
In his report to the legislature, Cho expressed apologies and regrets regarding the government’s handling of last month’s natural disasters.
It failed to provide sufficient protection from strong winds and heavy rain, was slow in restoring communications and did not adequately coordinate between different agencies, hampering the government’s ability to respond, he said.
Future government responses would be more resilient, wide-reaching and quick, he added.
Cho also expressed hope that the Legislative Yuan would support a special recovery budget proposed by the Executive Yuan.
The draft special proposal is capped at NT$56 billion (US$1.869 billion), which would be funded in installments, Cho said.
Funding sources could include previous years’ budget surpluses or additional public debt, he added.
To more quickly meet the needs of disaster-hit areas, government ministries — with approval from the Executive Yuan — can make partial payments before the bill is ratified, Cho said.
Cho also said he would demand greater resiliency planning, faster response times and more sweeping support from the Executive Yuan.
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