Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian expressed hope Monday that civil servants will form the backbone of national development and progress.
The president made the remarks when he received the annual winners of the outstanding performance of civil servants awards at the Presidential Office.
The president said that among the 71 outstanding civil servants, he was happy to learn that some were college classmates of either himself or of Premier Yu Shyi-kun.
He said that the quality of civil servants is crucial to a nation's overall development and that only through the continued upgrading of the professionalism of civil servants will they be able to provide more effective services to the people.
He said that in order to respond to the increased demands from the people, the government must push for administrative and government reforms, as well as upgrade administrative efficiency and service quality.
Chen noted that since he assumed the presidency, he has encouraged reforms and renovation and has pushed for reforms in government organizations, the streamlining of personnel and upgraded efficiency, in the hope of creating a dynamic team that is respected by society and globally competitive.