Although President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) relied on artful propaganda and image building to win the presidency in 2008, he has failed to deliver on a slew of promises over the last two years. However, the government has recently had more to worry about than its failure to live up to Ma’s promises, with a series of embarrassing incidents symptomatic of an administration that has time and again shown its management abilities to be severely lacking: police collusion with organized crime, drunken parties in the control tower at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and alleged bribe taking by High Court judges, to mention just a few.
The way these scandals just keep on coming highlights the fundamental rot inside the government and the risk that professional standards could be allowed to wither and die under the Ma administration. All have been dealt with in the same formulaic way — set up an investigation team and transfer the offenders elsewhere. Unfortunately, this approach fails to recognize the underlying problem that ties all these incidents together — a decline in professionalism.
Allegations of sexual harassment of employees by top management at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, allowing the control tower to be turned into a bar and the recent collapse of a passenger gangway have shone a much-needed light on the chaotic goings on at the nation’s No. 1 international airport. Unfortunately, the problem does not stop at the irresponsible behavior of control tower staff, but extends to the government’s inability to handle the issue properly.
The minister and deputy minister of transportation and communications and the head of the Civil Aeronautics Administration initially said investigations had shown the allegations to be inaccurate. When they were later revealed to be true, the government had egg on its face. In the end, the premier had to order that the guilty parties be replaced. This does not inspire much confidence in any future reforms announced by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
The recent shooting of an alleged gangster in Taichung unexpectedly highlighted close ties between police and organized crime. As a direct result, new rules were drawn up, but whether in Taiwan or abroad, it goes without saying that such rules already exist. In other words, the “changes” were a public relations maneuver aimed at deflecting further scrutiny.
The alleged bribe taking by Taiwan High Court judges who changed a 15-year prison sentence for former KMT legislator Ho Chih-hui (何智輝) to not guilty on appeal is another example. We rely on appeals court judges to be defenders of justice, which, if the allegations against them are proven to be true, would make their behavior particularly disappointing. It also takes judicial reform right back to square one, where it has apparently languished all these years. Many judges are still unable to say no to money, women and political temptation and the judicial system offers few ways to monitor or correct their behavior.
A comparison between KMT and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) governments shows few differences when it comes to public policy, but the less experienced DPP was bolder, more decisive and more administratively efficient. The KMT has 50 years of government experience, but it places too much emphasis on relationships and satisfying everyone, which can easily lead to sub-standard candidates and dereliction of duty.
All these examples indicate that the government is starting to unravel. If it fails to make an honest effort to do better and correct the many errors of its ways then the KMT is doing Taiwan a great disservice and will pay an electoral price in the year-end special municipality elections.
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.
As Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won by a landslide in Sunday’s parliamentary election, it is a good time to take another look at recent developments in the Maldivian foreign policy. While Muizzu has been promoting his “Maldives First” policy, the agenda seems to have lost sight of a number of factors. Contemporary Maldivian policy serves as a stark illustration of how a blend of missteps in public posturing, populist agendas and inattentive leadership can lead to diplomatic setbacks and damage a country’s long-term foreign policy priorities. Over the past few months, Maldivian foreign policy has entangled itself in playing
A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers led by the party’s legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (?) are to visit Beijing for four days this week, but some have questioned the timing and purpose of the visit, which demonstrates the KMT caucus’ increasing arrogance. Fu on Wednesday last week confirmed that following an invitation by Beijing, he would lead a group of lawmakers to China from Thursday to Sunday to discuss tourism and agricultural exports, but he refused to say whether they would meet with Chinese officials. That the visit is taking place during the legislative session and in the aftermath