Chen Apologizes for KMT Instability Policies?

Forbes reports that instead of pointing out what a colossal waste of time the recall motion was, and reminding the public who is really screwing up Taiwan, the President apologized:

President Chen Shui-bian apologized to the nation for the scandals dogging his administration and called for political dialogue after surviving a parliamentary vote to oust him.

'In recent months, political unrest has worsened and the atmosphere of confrontation has heightened to seriously damage Taiwan's internal solidarity,' Chen said in a statement released by his office.

Chen 'humbly accepts criticism... and looks forward to pushing for political dialogue at home and cross-strait peace talks... and promote social harmony,' the statement said without elaboration.

The president 'again apologized to the people for the issues involving him and his family' and urged the opposition to help restore calm on the island.

Hopefully this is an attempt to claim some moral ground from which the President can turn on his critics. The DPP needs to get on-message and stay there: it's the KMT that is destabilizing the island, folks, and that needs to be said loudly and clearly.

(Hat tip to Alan on the Taiwan Focus list)

[Taiwan] [Chen Shui-bian] [Ma Ying-jeou] [Su Tseng-chang] [DPP] [KMT] [PFP]