INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS CHALLENGED AS HASTY, ILL-CONCEIVED|反對前瞻計畫亂花錢 國民黨遊行抗議

The Tsai government is pushing hard for the NT$880 billion so-called 'forward-looking' infrastructure development program. On May 13 the Kuomintang mobilised for a demonstration. Former Premier Chiang Yi-huah and other former cabinet members from the Ma administration took part. Chiang asserted that the program was ill-conceived and hasty. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications responded that rail projects are the basis for development of industry and tourism, that all the projects had been assessed and they weren't just hastily throwing up superfluous construction. On May 13, the Kuomintang protested against the 'forward-looking' infrastructure plan as a collection of thoughtless construction projects. A group protested outside the Legislative Yuan and piled up bricks of money, then asked young people to carry them, symbolic of the burden that young people will have to bear for the NT$880 billion program. Former premier, Chiang Yi-huah and other members of the former cabinet held a forum at which they demanded that the DPP government respond to some of the unanswered questions about the program, such as how half of the estimated budget is for rail projects and how this has hastily appropriated the country's long-term development fund for use. ==CHIANG YI-HUAH Former Premier== All the items in the program have been raised to be seen as some sort of moral high-ground projects, characterised as promoting universal values and so if we raise any questions about anything, we are told that we are protesting against universal values and obstructing human rights. Responding to the former administrations' protests, the MOTC responded that all the rail projects had all passed assessment and it wasn't just thoughtlessly throwing up construction projects. It referred to flying junctions which increase the capacity of railways by making tracks cross in a grade-separated manner. ==WANG KUO-TSAI Dep. Minister, MOTC== When we have a review group for flying junctions, it's all very strict from the first instance to the review. Then it is sent to the Executive Yuan for approval. These are very strict procedures, so we do not recommend every flying junction project, it depends on the locality and the impact on safety around that urban area. The MOTC pushed back in its response and on May 13, President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that the investment in infrastructure projects was to solve existing problems and may not offer immediate benefits, but its principle was to look at long term development. On Monday, the Legislative Yuan will continue to review the budget for the infrastructure projects and Tsai has ordered that these be passed swiftly. This will no doubt lead to further fighting in the legislature. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 政府力推、8千8百億的「前瞻」基礎建設計畫，今天，國民黨，除了發動遊行之外，在馬政府時期的，行政院長、江宜樺等閣員，也公開批評、決策過程草率。對此，交通部，在傍晚做出回應，強調「軌道建設」，是發展產業和觀光的關鍵基礎，有經過審慎評估，並非胡亂建設。 ==Ns== 大聲說出前瞻基礎建設計畫，是亂花錢建設的聲音，國民黨今天發動大遊行，抗議民進黨政府施政無能。抗議隊伍來到立法院前，將一大疊「錢磚」堆起來，再請年輕人揹在身上，象徵8千8百億的前瞻建設，讓年輕人陷入沈重的負擔。 而前行政院長江宜樺等馬政府時期閣員，下午也舉行座談會，要求民進黨政府，要對各界質疑做出回應，認為前瞻建設一半經費，花在軌道建設，是扭曲國家長遠發展的經費使用，太過草率。 ==前行政院長 江宜樺== 當所有的計畫內容項目 都把它上升到一種道德的高位 說這是普世價值 不容質疑的時候 我們最擔心的事情恐怕就會出現 那就是所有反對 跟本來是善意要提醒政府 應該或不應該這麼做的聲音 都被打成是一種違反普世價值 跟違反人權的一種阻力 面對前政府閣揆的大動作砲轟，交通部傍晚也做出回應，強調軌道建設都是經過審慎的評估，絕對不是胡亂建設。 ==交通部次長 王國材== 但是我們在做鐵路立體化 我們有個審議小組 非常嚴格從初審到複審 然後送到這個行政院核定 都非常嚴格的程序 所以我們不建議說 好像全部就是以 這個鐵路立體化 全部都要做啦 要看當地有沒有影響到 都市的 所謂安全的問題 交通部全力反擊，而總統蔡英文也在13號強調，"前瞻"是以解決問題為導向的投資，不一定立即看到成效，可是台灣需要一個考慮長遠發展的政府，這是不變的法則。而立法院下週一將持續審查前瞻條例，在總統蔡英文下達盡速通過的指令下，朝野預期又會有一場攻防苦戰。 記者陳佳鑫 應磊奇 陳立峰 台北報導