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DPP, TSU pan Ma over economy vow
FEEL BETTER? Under pressure to revive the
economy, Ma said on Sept. 24 the government could achieve ‘improved well-being
and a better economic situation in a month’
By Chris Wang, Chiu Yen-ling and Stacy Hsu / Staff reporters,
with staff writer
Democratic Progressive Party
legislators display posters of President Ma Ying-jeou in Taipei yesterday,
accusing him of failing to keep his promise to make a perceptible improvement to
the economy within one month.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
The deadline has passed and President Ma
Ying-jeou (馬英九) has failed to deliver on his promise to give Taiwanese economic
progress within 30 days, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan
Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.
Under pressure to revive the moribund economy and amid widespread discontent, Ma
said on Sept. 24 that the government could achieve “improved well-being and a
better economic situation in a month.”
“What we have seen in the past month was more furloughs and people worrying
about not receiving their pension when they retire ... It seems to us that Ma
has issued so many ‘bounced checks’ with his pledges that people don’t even
waste time criticizing him anymore,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
Su reiterated the DPP’s action plan for a better economy, which was announced
late last month and which contained four main points — strengthening industrial
development, empowering local governments, helping young people find jobs and
assisting households with their finances.
Ma should spend less time on slogans and more time on working out efficient
policies, DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) told a press conference at the
legislature in Taipei.
“According to surveys conducted by various media outlets, more than 90 percent
of respondents said they have not noticed any improvement in the economy,” DPP
Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said.
“You know that Ma does not have the slightest clue about economics when he
pledged to turn around the economy in a month,” TSU Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin
(許忠信) said. “The saddest part about all this was that government agencies had to
scramble to create a string of policies, plans or projects to make it look like
the administration was moving the economy forward.”
Separately yesterday, Executive Yuan Deputy Secretary-General Steven Chen (陳士魁)
said the government was seeking to boost the economy and be responsible for the
country’s well-being, without fixating on whether the public could “sense” the
improvements.
“[Whether economic progress has been made] is a subjective matter,” he said.
The Executive Yuan has had many achievements that have been praised and the
nation’s performance in international rankings is remarkable,” he added.
Chen said he had highlighted only a few of the more than 100 plans put forward
by various ministries to “power-up” the economy in order not to overburden the
media and that the majority of the plans are nearly accomplished.
Citing as an example a proposal that would stop requiring people to routinely
renew their vehicle licenses, which is scheduled to take effect early next year,
Chen said the new policy would benefit 15 million motorcyclists and 6 million
drivers.
“If people still cannot feel an improvement after that, then I am speechless,”
he added.
Meanwhile, Premier Sean Chen said that the economy has proven to be resilient,
citing the latest assessment by international credit rating agencies Moody’s and
Fitch Ratings, which maintained their sovereign debt ratings for Taiwan with a
“stable country” outlook this year.
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