Premier Jiang Yi-huah unveiled his administrative vision while presiding over a Cabinet seminar today, expressing his hope of forming an innovative, reform-minded team aspiring to make Taiwan a democratic society of prosperity and propriety.
"Taiwanese people long for a uniformly prosperous society," Jiang said. "This entails an improved economic structure and higher employment income.
"Wealth alone is not enough, however. Propriety is also needed. I hope every citizen can be friendly and courteous. Several mainland Chinese tourists have said they are very impressed with Taiwanese people's civilization and friendliness as compared with those in other ethnic Chinese communities such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore," he added.
Premier Jiang also placed emphasis on the value of a democratic society. "'Prosperity and propriety' is not a feudalist Confucian concept. It should be combined with democratic politics.
"My field of study, political science, takes Western liberal democracy as the standard for governance because in this system, everyone is considered an independent individual who should respect others' wishes to act independently themselves. People are expected to be tolerant and respectful of each other and resolve disputes through peaceful and legal means."
"Taiwan still has much to do to become a model democratic society," Jiang said. "While one is pursuing one's rights, one should also respect that others are pursuing their own rights and that disputes can be resolved in rational, reasonable ways consistent with the rule of law. That is what is known as 'civic virtue.'"
"Democratic society does not only mean election campaigns and street demonstrations," the premier reiterated. "I hope that through its policies, our Cabinet can realize the deep and rich connotations of this concept."
Premier Jiang also spoke of his past experiences as a minister to encourage the other Cabinet members. He noted that administration must be focused and have clear priorities. Also, telling stories is a great way to convey a policy's objective and spirit, he advised. For example, when the Ministry of Justice promotes restorative justice, it uses the story of A-gan, an ex-convict who became a member of U-Theatre, as an example of the success of its approach.
The premier reminded the Cabinet members that before implementing major policies, they should report to him or President Ma Ying-jeou, obtain a consensus and gather support for the project. "Ministers should cultivate camaraderie and teamwork, while government agencies should proactively cooperate with other agencies on cross-ministerial policies rather than passively waiting for ministers without portfolio to coordinate everything," he continued. "Moreover, informal channels, such as tea gatherings, are good methods to make contacts and exchange viewpoints."
"Responsibilities should be delegated inside and between agencies, with exemplary colleagues given important works to accomplish while new talents are cultivated," Jiang said.
The premier encouraged Cabinet members get in touch with the grassroots, going to cities and towns themselves more often to understand their residents' needs and feelings. He stressed he does not want such visits to be formalities alone, and the number of visits is less important than listening to people's needs and resolving their problems. The government should also poll citizens on major policies to better understand their opinions, he added.
Furthermore, the premier asked Cabinet members to ensure active and effective communications when interacting with the staff of their own agencies and other agencies, as well as with officials of higher and lower rank, legislators, party headquarters, journalists, commentators, scholars, specialists, civic organizations and groups affected by their policies.
Jiang especially asked ministers to respect and understand the stances of legislators and assist them with reasonable and legitimate requests. If they are unable to accommodate legislators' requests, they must clarify the reasons, he said. To earn support from scholars, specialists and civic organizations instead of resistance, government agencies must be sincere with them, he added.
Jiang stated he believes in the integrity of all Cabinet members but urged them to oversee their staff's conduct in order to ensure the government is clean from top to bottom. He asked ministers to be aware of all outside appraisals of members of their teams and deal with any problems as soon as possible.
Finally, Premier Jiang said it was more important to contemplate policies that benefit the people than to focus efforts on preventing and reducing negative impacts. That is, officials should be positive and look to improve administration rather than take a conservative view of their work, and they should be progressive in promoting good policies.
At today's meeting, Minister of Labor Affairs Pan Shih-wei gave a report about the pension reform plan; Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch reported on energy policy and nuclear power safety; and Minister Shyr Shyr-hau of the National Communications Commission reported on the prevention of media monopolization.