Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Sunflowers boosted the economy

Huang Tien-lin 黃天麟

On Dec. 18 last year, the Asian Development Bank estimated Taiwan’s GDP growth rate for last year at 3.6 percent, 0.14 percent higher than the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research’s October estimate of 3.46 percent. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics’ (DGBAS) figure, to be released soon, is likely to fall somewhere between these two.

Most notable last year was that growth forecasts from a range of organizations continued to rise following the Sunflower movement in March and April. Had it not been for food safety scandals associated with the Ting Hsin International Group (頂新國際集團), the economic performance would likely have been even better.

Taiwan must resume localization

Lee Min-yung 李敏勇

The period from former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) administration from 1988 to 2000 through former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) two terms from 2000 to 2008 and President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) rule since 2008 has reflected political development in the post-president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) era: The shaky path toward development amid the struggle between Taiwanese localization and Chinese colonialism.

Government bumbles Chen parole

Taipei Times Editorial

Sometimes President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his government handle things in ways that make one wonder whether to laugh or cry. The administration’s handling of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) request for medical parole has taken so many frustrating twists and turns that, in the end, no one will thank the government even if Chen is granted medical parole.

Government panned over Chen delay

Taipei Times

Supporters of former president Chen Shui-bian express their dissatisfaction with the decision not to release Chen on medical parole in time for New Year’s Day at a protest during the flag-raising ceremony outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times

Political figures — including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) — yesterday criticized the government for postponing a decision on whether to release former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) on medical parole, while activists protested during a flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

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