The main course on the policy menu of Premier Yu Shyi-kun's Cabinet -- the six-year national development program -- has finally been served, and the government has once again created an illusion of a beautiful new world.
The DPP has been in power for two years. Of the three premiers to serve so far, Tang Fei (唐飛) didn't have time to have his main course before having to close up shop; Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) managed to rustle up a dish of "8,100 public construction and investment projects," but the entree started to go cold before much of it had been served; and although we still don't know the precise flavor of Yu's six-year national development plan, the menu clearly suggests that it is just another unappetizing mixed stew.
Leaders of all countries want to promote their brand of politics by way of their own famous dishes, hence Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal," Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" and Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) "10 Major Construction Projects."
But a dish doesn't become famous just because its cook brags about how good it is. It takes fresh ingredients and skill. Mixed stew is just mixed stew. To pretend that it is a formal banquet is to spoil one's own reputation.
Politicians, however, suffer from hubris. When the KMT was in power, everything had to become a "center," as if Taiwan was the center of Asia or the world. In the end, not only did Taiwan not become a center of anything, it was almost marginalized. While this Cabinet hasn't dared to use the word "center" in its six-year plan, the term "operation headquarters" reflects its own hubris.
Why? The KMT's notion of Taiwan as an Asia-Pacific Regional Operations Center was a good concept that was badly implemented. On the one hand, the KMT wanted Taiwan to become the center of the Asia-Pacific region, but on the other hand it didn't want to amend and relax financial legislation. Why would companies want to move to Taiwan just to have their hands and feet tied? Pushing the Asia-Pacific regional operations center only made Taiwan feel good. That it failed should not have surprised anyone.
If Yu doesn't change the basic character of the "no haste, be patient" policy but continues to make efficient management his guiding principle, opening a win-dow here, closing a door there, we can easily foresee the outcome of the six-year plan's goal of turning Taiwan into a regional operations headquarters.
Another example of hubris in the six-year plan is the aim of establishing eight technology parks. It's not that we mustn't establish technological parks, but rather that an egalitarian distribution of parks is a misguided policy. The purpose is political, not economic or developmental.
Taiwan's resources are limited. With eight technology parks, Tai-wan really would turn into a technology island, but where is the necessary infrastructure? Does Taiwan have so many equally highly talented people that they can be distributed on an egalitarian basis? Can local industry and educational resources be coordinated? Is it necessary to establish so many parks and spread the resources? The big number looks good and suggests that the government cares, but it is really only a case of deceiving both oneself and others.
Most of the items on the Cabinet's plan are run-of-the-mill fare. Each entry carries an enticing name, but that doesn't mean that it's good. In fact, the overdone packaging and advertising will disappoint the customer.
Taiwan's politicians believe that "dreams are beautiful." As soon as one dream is gone, it is replaced by another. When we wake up, the dream is still there. But if you don't dream, what do you do?
Wang Chien-chuang is president of The Journalist magazine.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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