Print

Mail

wiki links

People are the power in the credit union spat

The recent actions of the government concerning farmers' and fishermen's cooperatives are, at the same time, both troubling and reassuring. They are worrying in the sense that despite the obvious need for drastic reforms of the banking sector, the government has caved in to interest group pressure in order -- as alluded to by Premier Yu Shyi-kun -- to preserve social stability.

In other words, the government feared the beating its public image would take as a result of demonstrations planned by fishermen and farmers in the coming days. This is troubling because the badly needed reforms were part of campaign pledges responsible for the DPP's success in the last two national elections. This monumental flip-flop will do nothing to improve voters' perceptions of the current government.

In stripping the Ministry of Finance of its power to regulate a large portion of the banking sector and halting its three-tiered risk-control mechanism the government not only puts itself in a position to look as if it's waffling on the issue, which it is, but it puts the nation's economy in an even bigger position of risk.

Solving banking sector problems needs action and not half-measures that have little chance of success. Anyone who has paid attention to Japan's problems can attest to the success, or lack thereof, that has been achieved as a result of making compromises with interest groups, be they labor or big business, when the need for reform is clear.

From this perspective the actions of the government over the last week can be seen as nothing more than a complete shirking of its responsibility to the citizens of Taiwan on behalf of a minority of influential, well-organized, and politically active fishermen and farmers.

There is, however, perhaps, a silver lining around this cloud that might be reassuring to Taiwanese.

The fact that a group of citizens has been able to impose its will upon the government, despite the weak logic of its argument, highlights that Taiwanese democracy can work for the people.

The effectiveness of the Taiwan Agro-Fighters United's (TAFU) actions can serve as a blueprint for other groups wishing to influence government policy. Recent events highlight the effective role that an active civil society, something that was suppressed under the KMT, can play in determining the type of society that all Taiwanese live in.

Perhaps what should be remembered about the latest chapter in this particular saga of reform is that properly organized and motivated individuals may band together to empower themselves and influence the actions of the state. This is something that all Taiwanese should keep in mind if they wish Taiwan's democratic evolution to continue.

It is not enough to complain about policy and do nothing more, as is the current and past practice of most Taiwanese.

The days of Confucian obeisance must end if Taiwanese democracy is to truly become a vehicle for the expression of the people's will. It is up to the citizens of Taiwan to decide what kind of government and democratic institutions will govern them.

While the actions of TAFU might be disruptive to the nation's economy, they show the power the populace can wield over a democratically elected government. Perhaps a more emboldened public might become more demanding of their elected officials than has been the case thus far in Taiwan's history.

In this way, political debate might be moved to more substantive issues that concern the well-being of all and improve the human rights and quality of living enjoyed by those in Taiwan.

Michael Faass is a Kaohsiung-based political commentator.
This story has been viewed 1483 times.