By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter, in Hsinchu County
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) acknowledgment of his failure to carry out his 2008 campaign pledges should not persuade voters to give him one more term, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
In an interview with TVBS on Friday, Ma apologized for failing to carry out major policies, including the “6-3-3” campaign pledge he laid out in his 2008 presidential election campaign, but called on the public to support his re-election bid.
The “6-3-3” pledge refers to Ma’s promise to attain economic growth of 6 percent a year, lower the unemployment rate to less than 3 percent and increase per capita income to US$30,000 by next year.
“An apology is one thing, incompetence and bad decision making is another,” Tsai said during a presidential campaign stop in Jhubei City (竹北), in Hsinchu County.
The global economy had already shown signs of slowing and of an imminent crisis in the second half of 2007, during which Ma unveiled the “6-3-3” pledge, she said.
“That showed Ma’s inaccurate assessment of the global economic situation as well as his incompetence in implementing policy,” Tsai said in response to press queries about Ma’s apology.
“I would say that it would be the same if he wins another four-year term,” she said, adding that it would be very difficult for Ma to sell voters on his “golden decade” plan after failing to deliver on his previous campaign promises.