Some people have trouble saying the words “thank you,” while others are too arrogant to utter the word “please.” As for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), “sorry” seems to be the hardest word for him to say with sincerity to the Taiwanese public as he fails to deliver on his campaign pledge of “salvaging the nation’s economy.”
Many vividly remember the loud and catchy campaigns Ma and his team ran before the March 22 presidential election. Newspaper advertisements, roadside billboards and round-the-clock TV campaign spots trumpeted the slogan “Ma will turn things around (馬上好)” and “We are ready!” with campaign brochures promising voters that he would revive the nation’s economy with his running mate Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), whom he lauded as “the architect of Taiwan’s economy.”
Following his inauguration on May 20 and with a line up of Cabinet members that called themselves the “pro-finance and economy Cabinet,” the Ma administration’s rhetoric gave the public high hopes for the nation’s economic outlook.
Now, 110 days into office, what have Ma and his team delivered so far? Not much, as the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s performance indicates. The benchmark index fell further below the 20-year average to 6,424.77 on Tuesday.
In a recent interview with the Mexican daily El Sol de Mexico, Ma admitted that elements of his “6-3-3” economic pledge — promising an annual GDP growth rate of 6 percent, annual unemployment of 3 percent and an annual per capita income of US$30,000 — won’t be realized until 2016, the final year of a second presidential term.
The remarks bemused many who pinned high expectations on Ma, and also demonstrated Ma’s arrogance — what made him so sure that he will be elected for a second term when he can’t deliver on his first term pledges?
The most curious thing of all is that Ma refuses to admit his campaign promises have been broken, let alone apologize for them. After causing quite a stir with his remarks made in the interview with the Mexican press, Ma did indeed apologize — not for failing to meet his campaign pledge — but instead for “not clearly explaining the policy.”
It is possible that Ma, filled with his Greater China mentality, is obsessed with saving face and fears disgrace if he admits his hand-picked Cabinet needs a reshuffle.
It is true that the world has been experiencing an economic downturn and it is unfortunate that the nature of politics has created a scenario where politicians feel the need to make extravagant promises to get elected. But these facts do not excuse Ma from the need to take responsibility for the words that came from his mouth.
The agreement he made with the public in order to get elected was economic revival.
It has not happened and attempts to reframe the agreement as an eight-year deal instead of a one-year deal leave the public feeling cheated.
Every child is taught that once you realize you have broken an agreement, you must sincerely offer an apology, assume responsibility and make amends.
The question is whether the electorate is prepared to hold Ma to even this standard.
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