Thu, Nov 11, 2010 page8

• EDITORIAL : Total distraction, irresponsibility

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  “Total governance, total responsibility (完全執政, 完全負責)” were the words pledged by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and his administration when it assumed power in 2008. Gathering from the pattern the Presidential Office follows in dealing with news events, it appears, however, the ultimate position it holds is this: While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is the governing party, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is the one who should shoulder all blame when the government’s policy runs into a roadblock or something goes awry.

  As a first case in point, prior to the Ma-Tsai debate in April on the then-proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) posted questions for Tsai and demanded that she be responsible for suggesting items for inclusion on the cross-strait trade pact’s “early harvest” list.

  A second case in point can be found in the series of repeated malfunctions afflicting Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in recent months, including leaky toilets, defective jetways and a breakdown of the baggage handling system, over which Ma pointed fingers at the former DPP administration.

  Third, Tsai’s DPP again came under attack from the Ma administration when the Taipei High Administrative Court issued a ruling in August that suspended two Central Taiwan Science Park expansion projects.

  The latest case in this disturbing pattern was the Presidential Office’s demand that Tsai apologize for the use of foul language by Talking Show host Cheng Hung-yi (鄭弘儀) at a rally hosted by pro-localization groups over the weekend.

  Swearing in a public appearance is clearly inappropriate and Cheng, who as a grown man should be responsible for his actions, has since offered his apology. Why does Tsai need to be held accountable for another individual’s remark, one who isn’t even a DPP member to begin with? Following the Presidential Office’s logic, does it mean Ma, as the KMT chairman, should be held responsible for the extramarital affairs of his protege KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇)? Obviously not. While the analogy might appear whimsical, it shows the absurdity of how the Presidential Office and the KMT are dogging Tsai.

  Forget about the finger-pointing over who should be held responsible for the Cheng incident, for the truth of the matter is that it is the KMT’s secret agenda to cash in on the controversy and gain electoral points from the gaffe by stirring up political wrangling, while obscuring the real issues that prompted Cheng’s public outburst in the first place.

  So far, the KMT’s tactic seems to be working, with all media and public attention focused on the use of the word “motherfucker” in Cheng’s speech and none focusing on the solemn issues he raised pertaining to the welfare of the nation’s underprivileged as a consequence of the Ma administration’s policies.

  As such, no coverage has been provided on government policies that give Chinese students subsidies, but leaves Taiwanese students to rely on student loan programs. No public discussions have been held on the whopping budgets allocated for the Taipei International Flora Expo and the Republic of China’s centenary celebrations next year, even though the nation’s rice farmers suffer from stagnant sales with no government assistance and a depressing number of families remain in financially dire straits and can’t even afford to pay for their children’s school lunch.

  While the Presidential Office and the KMT so far appear to be succeeding in blurring the focus of the real and substantial issues by directing public attention to Cheng’s choice words, one can only count upon the public to look past all this distraction and use its wisdom to bring light to the issue of the unjust distribution of resources, of which the nation’s disadvantaged enjoy very little.
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