KMT Chairman Chiang emphasizes that there is a great need for vaccines in Taiwan. In addition to thanking our foreign friends, as well as corporate and civil organizations for their generous vaccine donations, we must not forget that we still need to urge the Tsai Ing-wen administration to speed up the delivery time of those vaccines, and call on the government to open up private and local government procurement measures. The ruling party’s distributions of vaccines to local governments should not become a disgraceful political drama. Chairman Chiang expressed his sincere gratitude to and admiration for the Yonglin Foundation and TSMC that have completed contract purchases, and the Tzu Chi Foundation, which has also completed the project application. It is hoped that these precious vaccines will arrive as soon as possible to increase the vaccination coverage in the nation.
The KMT has even joined the four KMT-led Counties of Nantou, Yunlin, Hualien, and Taitung to formally apply for the purchase of 5 million BNT vaccine doses. It is hoped that the Tsai government will complete the administrative procedures as soon as possible in accordance with the previous example, and work together for the vaccine needs of the people in Taiwan.
Regarding the issue of the DPP deliberately manipulating the topic of the remaining vaccines in our counties and cities, Chairman Chiang states that it is the government’s responsibility to obtain enough vaccines and implement an efficient delivery plan. Faced with the unstable rate of vaccine delivery, the central government’s policy on vaccine distribution is not transparent and causes local governments various problems. In addition, Chairman Chiang emphasizes that the powers and responsibilities of vaccine delivery need to be clarified as well. Currently, most of the appointments are still handled by local governments, but the vaccine appointment registration system launched yesterday, which was coordinated by the central government, shows us that the tacit coordination of the central and local governments failed. In particular, the system crashed when the registration was opened yesterday, which may deepen the anxiety of people in Taiwan. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) should give clear messages, ensure efficiency, and reduce the cost of people running around in order to get vaccinated so as to increase the willingness of the public to receive vaccination.
Regarding the slight lifting of the level three control measures that began yesterday, we would like to point out that guidelines of the CECC not only made it difficult for the people to follow, but it was also difficult for local governments to implement. Chairman Chiang points out that he once again calls on the CECC to strengthen communication and coordination with local governments before July 26th to ensure that further pandemic prevention and control measures can be clearly coordinated by local governments to jointly fight against the virus.
In addition to the discussion of lifting lockdowns, Chairman Chiang emphasizes that financial assistence and revitalization must go hand in hand. He once again makes three suggestions: First, freeze both oil and electricity rates so that the people can feel at ease in combating the epidemic; second, distribute cash to make up for the government’s negligent policies; third, formally recognize the plight of various industries under the COVID-19 pandemic and take concrete action.
Finally, as regards to the upcoming KMT party elections, Chairman Chiang explains that the Central Standing Committee has made a resolution to discuss a timetable for the follow-up party elections after the pandemic alert has been reduced to level two. In order to plan ahead, he has also asked the examination and discipline committee to study relevant laws and regulations. It is hoped that through official documents from the competent authority, the legality of the implementation of party affairs under the pandemic will be established, not only to avoid disputes, but also to ensure that party affairs can still be implemented smoothly while we fight against the pandemic.
