Full Text of Swearing-in Speech from the 16th Magistrate of the Chiayi County
Minister of Justice Wang, former County Magistrate Chen, Deputy County Magistrate Wu, our guests here today, county employees, the hard-working gentlemen and women from the media, as well my beloved people of Chiayi County, welcome!

Welcome to the swearing-in ceremony for the 16th Magistrate of Chiayi County. Thank you for being here to witness this historic moment for Chiayi County. For the first time in history, Chiayi will be led by a woman mayor. It is also the Democratic Progressive Party's first change of administration in Chiayi County. This means that gender quality has been realized in conservative and traditional Chiayi County. It also means that the DPP's administration in Chiayi County has received the support of the people and is now ready to enter a new age of growth.

For this historic moment, my greatest respect and thanks must go to the people. Despite the smear campaign and vote buying, the people of Chiayi showed great wisdom and determination by voting for "Chiayi Comes First, the People in Charge". The people's faith and trust in me will be the greatest source of encouragement to me as I lead the Chiayi County Government in facing new challenges.

Next, I would like to thank all of my campaign partners and my family.
Third, my gratitude goes out to County Magistrate Chen Ming-Wen and the county government team for their eight years of hard work. The solid foundation in Chiayi they built was critical in our electoral victory. This moment of joy would not have been possible without my predecessor's toil and sweat.

Last but not least, I thank my fellow members of the DPP for their full support during the campaign, including former Premiers Su Tseng-Chang, Frank Hsieh and Yu Shyi-Kun, DPP Chairman Tsai Ing-Wen and Secretary-General Su Jia-Chuan.

I hereby solemnly swear that I, Chang Hwa-Kuan, will in the future uphold the core values of "Integrity, Diligence, Love of the Land", support the Taiwanese identity, and live up to the promise of "Green administration means quality assurance". I will make my election promise of "Chiayi comes first, the People in charge".

◎Crises and Challenges in the 21st Century

We will be facing three serious challenges in the 21st Century.
The first challenge is from climate change. Over-development and global warming means floods and droughts will increase in frequency. The internal requirements on energy conservation and carbon reduction will become more stringent as well. Environmental regulations will undoubtedly put pressure on economic growth and improvements in quality of life. As Chiayi County is already disadvantaged in terms of industrial and commercial opportunities, the way ahead is going to be very difficult indeed.

The second challenge is the shift in the cross-strait political environment. After the Kunomintang took power, the cross-strait policy has become lopsided. From the ECFA to the recognition of academic qualifications, the government has continued to ignore the rights of farmers and students. The conditions for farmers and youth employment in Chiayi have become very precarious indeed.

The third challenge is from domestic polarization in Taiwan. The continued expansion and polarization in the M-shaped society and the gap between the cities and the countryside means the "disadvantaged groups" and "remote areas" are now very much in trouble. It is particularly heart breaking to me that Chiayi County just happens to be the region with the largest number of senior citizens and the largest number of remote townships. How to use the government resources to narrow and bridge this gap will therefore be a basic responsibility of the local government.

Faced with the above changes and challenges, the county government's administrative functions and mindset must change in order to adapt and overcome.

Ever since the Martial Law period, the county government's organization and officials' mindset have often treated the county government as the center of power and distributor of resources. Today, we must know what our mission is and change that mindset. The county government must become an administrative platform dedicated to "improving services" and the "pursuit of efficiency".

The county government must take the lead in improving services and efficiency. Only by embracing these changes can we overcome these challenges and embrace a new future.

To improve our services and efficiency, we must expand the level of public participation. Instead of the "government administration" concept, I hope that Chiayi County can be governed by a "People's Administration". I hereby call upon the general public, individuals, community organizations and businesses to all get involved in the county administration. We can then use the energy, vitality and creativity of the private-sector to boost the quality of governance.

◎Vision for the Future

Everyone has witnessed County Magistrate Chen Ming-wen's contribution to the development of Chiayi County in the past eight years. The people have affirmed his efforts with their votes during the latest elections. To continue building on the Magistrate Chen's efforts and uphold the vision of green administration, I promise to everyone in Chiayi County that the slogan "Chiayi comes first, the People in charge" embodies the core values and principles of our future administration.

The trend towards polarization that I mentioned previously means we are now at a disadvantage. I hope that the Central Government will pay attention to the economically disadvantaged people in the Yunlin-Chiayi region as well as the worsening in the rural divide and financial difficulties once the county and city mergers go through. The government should set up a "Yunlin-Chiayi Agriculture Zone" along the lines of the Offshore Islands Development Act and set aside a special "Three Billion Dollar Yunlin-Chiayi Agricultural Development Fund" to turn this trend around. This will serve to look after farmers, improve the villages and protect agriculture.

During my campaign, I proposed a master plan for urban and rural development in Chiayi County for the next ten years. This was based on the "Seven Agendas for Happiness in Chiayi" and the "Chiayi Next-10: Seven Flagship Projects". Once I take office, I will not only invite central officials, community leaders, experts and the representatives of the 18 townships to discuss these plans, but also hope to expand public participation by encouraging more young people to offer their suggestions and inject their energy into the process. The expanded participation will help define the "People's Administration" model.

As the Magistrate of Chiayi County, I hope that the Central Government can pick up the pace on Morakot's post-disaster reconstruction and help the disaster areas recover as soon as possible. I also hope that President Ma Ying-Jeou will fulfill his promises of developing Budai Harbor to support cross-strait links and opening the National Palace Museum Southern Branch's Museum of Asian Art and Culture on time.

◎Progress that can be seen, Happiness that can be touched

Ladies and gentlemen. It is time to leave the high emotions of the election behind. Now is the time for unity. We don't have the time or luxury to fight amongst ourselves. Chiayi must remain united to stay competitive.

The 21st Century is the century of change. The transformation of Chiayi County must begin with the county government. We must change Chiayi County through more efficiency and more creativity. Only then can we uphold our traditions and overcome the challenges to make a new life for ourselves.

People of Chiayi County, my colleagues and partners: progress can now be seen. It is now up to us to reach out and realize our dream of happiness.

It is the power of the people that drives the wheels of history onwards. The road ahead may be overgrown with thorns or filled with obstacles, but I remain confident. I know that the virtues of hard work and simplicity are still alive and well in the people of Chiayi. We will overcome all the challenges and difficulties to create a better tomorrow.

At this moment in history and as I take on this burden of responsibility, I, Chang Hwa-Kun humbly beg the support of everyone in Chiayi County. Let us work together to create a better future for Chiayi County.

Finally, I wish everyone the best of health and success in all endeavors.
Thank you.

Chiayi County Magistrate
Chang, Hwa-Kuan
December 20, 2009