KMT official: Lai Ching-te dares not apologize for food safety lapse, admitting fault would overturn his past stance

Kuomintang (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee Chairman Chen I-hsin on Tuesday criticized President Lai Ching-te's response to the recent Zhonglian Oil food safety incident. Chen stated that Lai's remarks at a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) central standing committee meeting failed to include an apology to the public or any acceptance of political responsibility.

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The entire speech did not contain a single word of apology to the public, nor any political responsibility, only pushing all responsibility onto the businesses, attempting to divert attention through production halts, recalls, and legislative revisions.

Instead, Chen accused Lai of solely blaming businesses and attempting to divert attention through measures like production halts, product recalls, and legislative revisions. He expressed shock and anger at the president's seemingly downplayed reaction to what he described as the most severe food safety crisis in nearly a decade.

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Facing the most severe food safety storm in nearly a decade, President Lai's attitude is so understated, which is both shocking and infuriating.

Chen lambasted Lai, asserting that the president "dares not apologize" because admitting government failure would contradict his own past criticisms of the Ma Ying-jeou administration. He recalled Lai's strong condemnation of the 2014 Wei Chuan oil scandal when he was Tainan mayor, demanding apologies and resignations from the central government. Chen highlighted the perceived double standard, noting that Lai's current stance is vastly different from his past approach.

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President Lai does not know he should apologize today; he dares not apologize. Because once he admits government failure, it is equivalent to overturning all his past arguments against the Ma government.

While Health Minister Hsueh Jui-ling has apologized, Chen dismissed it as a "stop-gap performance" without a presidential apology, a premier taking responsibility, or the minister's resignation. He argued that the core issue is not just the inconsistent recall policies but a systemic failure in the central food safety apparatus, from reporting and inspection to disclosure and preventive recalls, which has eroded public trust. Chen insisted that the Lai administration cannot simply close the case with a ministerial apology or minimize political responsibility to administrative errors. He called for Lai to apologize immediately and for Premier Cho Jung-tai and Minister Hsueh to resign, applying the same standards the DPP used to scrutinize the Ma government.

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At that time, when criticizing the Ma Ying-jeou government, President Lai did not have this kind of amiable demeanor. In the 2014 Wei Chuan oil scandal, Lai Ching-te, then mayor of Tainan, fiercely attacked the central government...