The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday expressed regret over comments the Presidential Office made in response to an open letter published by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Wednesday.
“It was regrettable that the Presidential Office would respond to the letter in such an insincere and thoughtless manner,” DPP spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said yesterday, while also accusing President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) government of over-reacting.
He was referring to Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang’s (羅智強) characterization of the open letter as “misleading” and full of “political language.”
On Wednesday, Tsai Ing-wen published on her blog an open letter written to coincide with the second anniversary of Ma's inauguration.
In the letter, Tsai Ing-wen said the Ma government had neglected its election pledges and she called on Ma “to start thinking about the public.”
“You said before that the DPP is only concerned with elections instead of governance, but in the last two years, have you yourself become what you criticized in the past?” Tsai asked. “Stop electioneering and start governing with the public interest in mind.”
In response, Lo said Tsai was a fear monger who took advantage of public fear to obtain political gain.
“Since the debate [on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Ma on April 25], Chairwoman Tsai seems to have changed into a different person,” Lo said on Wednesday. “She is becoming more political. She is also making deliberate interpretations out of context and irresponsibly blowing things out of proportion for the mere purpose of misleading the public.”
In the letter, Tsai Ing-wen also advised Ma to believe in Taiwan, have confidence in its democracy and protect Taiwan’s international image and sovereignty.
In response, Lo said the DPP had undermined democratic politics by resorting to violence and obstructing legislative procedure. Lo also said he would like to know whether the DPP had the same faith in Taiwan and its democracy when it faced China.
Lo said that since Ma took office in May 2008, the Ma administration had not swept Taiwan under the carpet, but had instead raised its international profile by joining the Government Procurement Agreement and attending the World Health Assembly as an observer.
“It’s fine that Chairwoman Tsai does not clap for us, but she must at least have the courtesy to review her own party and find out why Taiwan’s international presence has grown now, but decreased when the DPP was in power,” Lo said.
Taking issue with Lo’s comment that the letter was “political spit,” Tsai Chi-chang yesterday said Tsai Ing-wen had simply attempted to convey to Ma “the feelings and concerns of the Taiwanese public in the most sincere manner.”
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