President Ma Ying-jeou visited Douliu City in Yunlin County on the afternoon of July 10 to attend the unveiling of plaques at temples with histories dating back 100 years. The plaques were unveiled at the Xinxing Temple and the Shoutian Temple. The president also took part in a ceremony in which incense was lit and prayers were made for good weather for crops, a prosperous nation, and for the public to live in peace.
While at the Shoutian Temple, the president spoke to the public in the temple's courtyard and conducted a quiz contest on the price of red label rice wine and the history of coffee in Taiwan. The president hoped to take advantage of this activity to listen to the voices of the public at the grassroots level and better understand their needs, thereby providing reference for the government's administrative policies. A number of government officials accompanied President Ma on the visit, including Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄), Research, Development and Evaluation Commission Minister Chu Chin-peng (朱景鵬), and Transportation and Communications Political Deputy Minister Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時).
The president remarked that many of the policies implemented since his government took office in May 2008 have yielded results. Last year, for example, economic growth rate hit a 24-year high of 10.88%, and domestic investment also exhibited strong growth. And Taiwan's unemployment rate, after peaking at 6.13% in August 2009, has fallen consistently, dropping to 4.27% in May of this year. The economic turnaround has even led to a shortage of workers in the labor market, he said. Consequently, the government is working on strengthening programs to introduce workers to appropriate jobs, thus assisting labor in finding the right work as soon as possible, he stated.
President Ma also pointed to two immensely popular brands of tea eggs sold at Sun Moon Lake, a national scenic area, saying that the good business these stores are enjoying is in part due to the increasing number of tourists. Tourist arrivals last year hit 5.66 million, which was the highest ever, he said. Many industries are benefiting as a result, he said, citing not only transportation, department stores, and travel, but also even small stalls and businesses.
The president also displayed charts depicting total financial losses to the public between 1997 and 2011 due to scams, as well as the number of scams over that same period. The improving data highlights the government's success and determination in combatting crime, he said. The number of scam cases has fallen from a peak of 43,000 in 2005 to 24,000 this year, while the associated losses have dropped to NT$4.6 billion from a peak of NT$18.59 billion in 2006. The government is committed to protecting the public's well-being and property, he noted.
Agriculture Minister Chen discussed subsidies that are being provided due to the fall in the price of garlic, policies on the construction of farmhouses, qualifications to obtain farmer insurance, and the development of the area behind the nearby Dounan train station. After Minister Chen concluded his remarks, President Ma chimed in and said that the government and farmers will need to fully coordinate and cooperate if a balance is desired in the production and sale of garlic. Specific production targets will need to be set prior to the growing season, he stated. The president added that the Council of Agriculture has experience in balancing the production and sale of oranges, and he said he hopes that the methods can be extended to other crops such as garlic, bananas, and papayas, thereby alleviating the problem of oversupply that in turn impacts the prices that farmers can get for their crops. Meanwhile, the president instructed the Council of Agriculture to carefully review whether laws and regulations associated with qualifications to obtain farmer insurance and the construction permits for farmhouses are reasonable. As for the development of the area behind the Dounan train station, the president instructed the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to appropriately handle the situation and then keep the public in the area informed of developments.