Ma Attended the First Televised Platform Presentations for Presidential Candidates

Press Release

Ma Attended the First Televised Platform Presentations for Presidential Candidates

Ma Ying-jeou Campaign Headquarters

March 3, 2008

The first televised platform presentations delivered by Presidential candidates were staged on February 29. In the event, KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou noted that his DPP counterpart Frank Hsieh’s criticism of the KMT’s “one-China market” policy had actually derived from Hsieh’s wild dreams and fantasies. “What the KMT is pushing for is a cross-Strait common market, which centers around Taiwan and aims to increase Taiwan’s revenue and employment opportunities. Like the common markets elsewhere in the world, the cross-Strait common market we’re pushing for will not open its labor and agricultural sectors to Mainland China without reservation, and will not cost barbers and farmers their jobs as described by Mr. Hsieh,” said Ma solemnly. Criticizing Hsieh for being excessively conservative, Ma said, “Mr. Hsieh approves of the idea of cross-Strait direct flights, but will not open the airports to Mainland China. Surely he is not thinking about asking Mainland Chinese tourists to arrive by parachuting?”

Well-equipped for the occasion, Ma presented a signboard listing his six promises for farmers in light of the transition of the agricultural industry and rural villages, and the challenges posed by international trade to Taiwan’s agricultural industry. Firstly, the KMT will sell Taiwan’s agricultural produce to Mainland China, instead of selling Taiwan out to Mainland China. Secondly, old-age farmers will each receive an annuity of at least NT$ 6,000 per month guaranteed. The amount will rise along with national finance. Thirdly, old-age farmers will be encouraged to retire as part of the “Small Landlord, Big Tenant-Farmer Plan.” Fourthly, the KMT government will enact the Statutes for the Rejuvenation of Rural Villages and earmark NT$ 150 billion for the ten-year project of taking care of the rural villages and 600,000 rural households in 4,000 rural areas. Fifthly, the KMT government will continue monitoring the importation of 823 types of Mainland Chinese produce. Sixthly, the KMT government will push for the development of science and corporate-based agricultural industry.

Ma added, “Mr. Hsieh likes to direct the spotlight away from himself and evade questions with attacks and sarcasm, especially when he is presented with questions pertaining to his close aides’ involvement in scandals.” Summoning the electorate’s support for the idea of “clean government,” Ma said this would be the only way to realize the objectives of “a dynamic economy,” “social justice,” and “cross-Strait peace.”

“Mr. Hsieh has been evading questions pertaining to his personal integrity since the beginning of his Presidential campaign. He wouldn’t even face the scandals involving the DPP’s “gang of corruption” in the public debate last time. He even deliberately referred to the economic criminals who escaped abroad as those officials indicted on, or convicted of, corruption charges. What’s more, there were a lot of corruption scandals involving political appointees in the Kaohsiung City Government when Mr. Hsieh was Kaohsiung Mayor. Kaohsiung City topped all the other cities and counties in terms of the number of political appointees indicted and convicted when Mr. Hsieh was in charge. These are all close aides to Mr. Hsieh. The Taipei City Government under me, on the contrary, did not have one single political appointee involved in a court case. Mr. Hsieh was trying to create confusion when he mentioned a case involving a civil servant in Taipei City Government,” said Ma, who added, “Only 0.6% of civil servants in Taipei City Government when I was in charge were involved in court cases, whereas 2.3% (the national highest) of civil servants in Kaohsiung City Government when Mr. Hsieh was in charge were involved in court cases. A clean government must begin with a clean leader, who serves as a good example for subordinates. In other words, a clean leader will naturally have a group of clean subordinates.”

Ma campaigned for his “clean government policies” in the event, trumpeting the ideas of “driving corruption out of the government and attaching equal emphasis on prevention and monitoring” so that civil servants “need not, will not, and dare not” engage in corruption. Ma stressed the importance of pushing for the idea of a clean government to uproot the practices of corruption planted by the DPP government. Ma proposed the idea of creating a Clean Government Committee to push for a clean government, reform anti-corruption laws, sever the sources of bribery, oversee top executives in the government, and punish government officials who fail to explain the source of their assets. “The clean government policies will materialize as long as top executives in the government are willing to comply. The people will not be able to enjoy the fruits of economic development until all government agencies are exposed under the sun and all government officials abide by the code of integrity,” said Ma.

Ma described the DPP government as having three characteristics: an unstable government, ever-changing policies, and chaotic politics. “The government is unstable in that political appointees are being changed all the time. The people have seen six Premiers, six Economics Ministers, and six Finance Ministers in the period of eight years. The policies change all the time. The controversies surrounding the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant cost the people NT$ 400 billion. The chaotic political environment has resulted in low economic growth and high unemployment. The dead-end economy in the DPP era nearly crushed the middle and low-income households, small and medium enterprises, and people in central and south Taiwan,” said Ma.

Another focal point in Ma’s presentation is the idea of “a dynamic economy.” Elaborating on this idea, Ma stressed the importance of sustaining government investment to keep the economy going. Ma proposed the eight-year, NT$ 3.99 trillion Pro-Taiwan 12 Construction Projects to create 120,000 jobs each year.

Hsieh described Ma’s economic policies as bankruptcy economy. In response, Ma said that the nature of the dynamic economy fits in with Taiwan’s traditional values, which emphasize the progressive spirit and idea of investing for the future. “The late President Chiang Ching-kuo was heavily criticized when he first introduced the Ten Major Construction Projects. I recall him saying, ‘We will regret tomorrow if we don’t do this today!’ That’s why it is important for us to invest for the generations to come,” said Ma.

Ma added, “The Pro-Taiwan 12 Construction Projects will cost NT$ 300 billion a year, which is only a little bit higher than the current level of government investment. Apparently Mr. Hsieh is unclear of the figures of government investment under Premier Chang Chun-hsiung. The funding for the Pro-Taiwan 12 Construction Projects will come from an expanded tax base, an increase in GDP, and the economic prosperity brought by the construction projects.” Launching a full-scale counterattack on Hsieh, Ma said, “A progressive spirit is the key to Taiwan’s economic vitality. No example or statistics can convince Mr. Hsieh of our case, because Mr. Hsieh is simply pessimistic on Taiwan’s future, while we are optimistic.” Ma pledged to bring good days to the people, “All we have to do is to put our efforts together and fill our hearts with hope.” Ma introduced his “633 objectives,” which include raising annual economic growth to 6%, raising per capita GDP to at least US$ 30,000, and reducing unemployment rate to less than 3%.

“Mr. Hsieh talked about creating a country of well-being. The DPP claimed to be a party of the grassroots, and pledged to take care of the middle and low-income households, small and medium enterprises, and people in central and south Taiwan. But it is exactly the grassroots who have been bearing the brunt of the DPP government’s incompetence,” lamented Ma, who added, “I met an old man selling produce in a traditional wet market in Wu Chia district. He told me he was having trouble making ends meet. A fisherman I met in a fishing port told me he had no money for gasoline. The cries of poverty I heard everywhere reflect the real lives of the middle and low-income households, small and medium enterprises, and people in central and south Taiwan. It really rankled me to hear these pleas.”

“Mr. Hsieh seems to be more interested in my family than in policies,” said Ma.

Calling on the people to have faith in Taiwan’s future, Ma stressed the need to fuel investment activities and to persuade Mainland China-based Taiwanese businessmen to return to Taiwan to invest. Raising the signboard listing the 633 objectives high in the air, Ma said, “We will bring good days to the people. This is our promise.”

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