The Kuomintang’s (KMT) operation of medical supply donations continues unabated. Party Chairman Johnny Chiang proceeded towards Chiayi this (June 26th) morning, arriving separately at the Chiayi County Dalin Township Office, Chiayi Christian Hospital, Department of Health Chiayi Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Chiayi Branch, and St. Marten de Porres Hospital to donate personal protective equipment to frontline medical workers fighting the pandemic. Chairman Chiang stated that during this period of pandemic prevention, the KMT expresses its support of frontline medical personnel and will act as their reinforcements and rearguard. The KMT will take the medical resources pouring in, donated from all walks of life, including masks, face shields, protective eyewear, the newest isolation gowns, and other resources, all of which require frequent replacement and are the most practical medical supplies, and deliver them into the hands of frontline doctors, nurses, and other pandemic prevention personnel. In this way, we can alleviate their worries.
Chairman Chiang gave special thanks for the time and effort of the medical personnel combatting the pandemic during this period of time and for the hard work of the Chiayi government team; this time, effort and hard work has allowed the locals to feel at easy during this pandemic prevention period. He hopes that the level three epidemic alert can quickly pass so that we can resume normal life and so that the expenditure of medical personnel’s energy can be reduced. However, most important is the need for a solution via vaccines. If we cannot acquire enough safe vaccines and let the people have confidence in vaccinations, then the hard work still falls mainly on frontline medical personnel, especially since the Delta variant of COVID has entered Taiwan these past couple of days, causing people to worry that if this breach cannot be contained and enters the community, it will increase the burden of pandemic prevention personnel.
Chairman Chiang called upon the central government to purchase vaccines as soon as possible. It’s not that we can’t have domestically produced vaccines. However, they need time for verification, need scientific inspection, and need international verification before the people will have confidence in them; during this period of time, we should be working together to fight for internationally verified vaccines. The second-generation Covid vaccines are coming; if we don’t take proactive actions quickly, we might repeat a disastrous mistake. Over the past year and a half, vaccines were not deployed in advance, leading to numerous pandemic prevention gaps to be covered. Chairman Chiang hopes that the government won’t forgo what is close at hand to seek what is far away and will acquire the second-generation vaccines via existing Moderna and AZ vaccines procurement channels. We can spend a little bit of money now and employ comparatively less resources to prepare and deploy vaccines in advance.
Chiayi Mayor Huang Min-hui, who appeared with Chairman Chiang, also expressed thanks for everyone’s concerted efforts to fight the pandemic. Mayor Huang said that it is only because of everyone’s good character that Chiayi has been able to fight the pandemic effectively. She also thanked Chairman Chiang for donating medical supplies, saying that the supplies would be put to good use as the most important rearguard in the battle against the pandemic. She emphasized that Chiayi has guarded against the pandemic extremely rigorously, and the vaccines supplied by the central government had all been employed already. However, most important right now is still a sufficient supply of vaccines; this is the most crucial defensive perimeter in the fight against the pandemic, especially in the face of the Delta variant of the virus. Vaccinations need to take place immediately in order to erect a defensive perimeter against the pandemic. Only by doing this can the lockdowns truly be lifted safely.
While accepting questions from the media, Chairman Chiang touched upon the matter of supporting Hong Kong’s Apply Daily. He stated that the insistence on free speech and free press by many of our compatriots is nonpartisan; this is also the most important fundamental value of democracy.
Regarding media reports of “industrial and commercial tycoons helping to acquire BNT vaccines, but upon contact with blue media they were met with discouragement from high level DPP government institutions,” Chairman Chiang pointed out that the government, despite its incompetence, still insisted on preventing the people from saving themselves, “now we don’t even have the opportunity to help ourselves. This kind of government is even more dictatorial than a dictatorship; it’s even more dreadful than an autocracy.” He emphasized that purchasing vaccines is the central government’s responsibility, yet the central government has repeatedly avoided this responsibility. Thus the citizens seek to help themselves; regardless if it’s a company, charitable group, religious group, or city / county government, all are willing to come out and help procure vaccines, even willing to donate them. However, the government’s attitude has nevertheless been negative and passive, even failing to actively help and instead discouraging those who wish to help.
Chairman Chiang also stated that this matter is of great concern to human life and requested that the Tsai administration find its conscience. The government failed to manage immigration controls well, allowing the Delta variant of the virus to enter Taiwan. Last year, we had already appealed for universal immigration filters, but the government paid no heed, instead employing internet trolls to beat down the proposal and those who proposed it. As a result, the pandemic exploded this year, yet the government still continues to do its own thing and remains dismissive. Worse, the people now want to help themselves, and the government will not allow the people to do so. Chairman Chiang once again called upon the Tsai administration, stating that human life is priceless; “she said people on the island share a common destiny, but it’s apparent to the people that she values money over human life.” If the people don’t even have the opportunity to help themselves, this government is more dreadful than autocracy.
The media mentioned that the DPP government, at the drop of a hat, blames the other side of the strait; has the KMT, for the sake of aiding the health of the people, expressed via its channels to the other side of the strait, that when signing a contract not to quibble over every individual word? Chairman Chiang replied that regarding pandemic prevention, our persistent attitude has been to open the doors and accept goodwill; regarding assistance from all parties, we have long expressed sincere thanks, including when Japan and the United States promptly donated vaccines, we immediately expressed thanks. As far as civil groups procuring vaccines, regardless of which channels they went through, we hope that they all proceed smoothly. In this way, the people can acquire effective, sufficient, and internationally verified vaccines.
Chairman Chiang further pointed out that, while fighting the pandemic, if the other side of the strait needs to be contacted, we will exhaust all possibilities and all our strength to help. After all, this is a matter of life and death; when the United States gifted 2.5 million doses of vaccine, we said the same thing. Only our own government seems unbothered, seeing the matter as of no concern; everyone is concerned, yet our government seems to continue doing its own thing, unwilling to care about your affairs. Chairman Chiang called into question, could it be that the DPP government lacks its own channels to purchase vaccines? Didn’t it order 5.05 million doses of vaccine? Didn’t it purchase AZ vaccines? If it has existing channels, why isn’t it utilizing them? Yet it continues to muddle up the channels for BNT, saying that they might involve mainland factors? If it refuses to utilize existing channels, does this mean that it doesn’t want to buy vaccines and instead wants to wait for others to donate them? What kind of mindset is this? What is the hidden motives? This will definitely arouse the people’s misgivings; Chairman Chiang requested that the Tsai administration do us all a favor and save the lives of Taiwanese people.
As for the opening of leftover vaccine injections up to the public yet triggering popular grievance, Chairman Chiang stated that we must return to the most basic problem, which is that there are insufficient vaccines; this insufficiency brought about the people’s worries about not being able to get vaccinated. The government is fully aware that there are not enough vaccines and divided vaccinations into different batches and sequences, but failed to plan for contingencies. When vaccines are leftover or there is a tide of people delaying vaccination, how should the leftover vaccines be dealt with? These contingencies should have been planned for in advance. Yesterday a single order caused a great deal of turmoil and chaos; each and every county and city was at a loss as to what to do, triggering a great deal of complaints from the people. The government had once again cooked up “privileged, public relations, or failure to adhere to proper sequence” criminal charges; this truly is a baffling government: it had failed to prepare for contingencies, and is instead trying to find criminal charges to frame the people. Chairman Chiang requested that the government cease causing trouble; it failed to plan for contingencies, so it shouldn’t blame the people; it needs to figure out a resolution as quickly as possible. South Korea has created a leftover vaccination mapping app so that the people have a way to follow leftover vaccination guidelines; this was handled very neatly and tidily. Yet we have but one order; the result is that the people bear the responsibility.
Finally, regarding the matter of the media inquiring about former Legislator Chang Hsien-yao getting vaccinated, Chairman Chiang stated that these matters all have relevant rules for conduct. To answer whether or not any rules were violated, the relevant personnel must go and investigate them clearly. During this period of pandemic prevention, the people all cooperate with the relevant decrees and rules; the government should also actively do what it’s supposed to do regarding pandemic prevention, including vaccine preparation and advance deployment of pandemic prevention resources. The leaks and problems visible now are a chaotic situation caused by the government’s failure at advance deployment and arrangement, and failure to plan for contingencies in advance.
