As a leader who won a decisive re-election in January, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration for a second term yesterday was short on celebratory atmosphere, with barbed-wired barricades blocking off areas near the Presidential Office from protesters.
Ma is probably the first president in the nation’s history to be inaugurated amid a large-scale protest that included not only pan-green groups, but also many who voted for him.
For a president who enjoyed more than 60 percent public support at the start of his first term, Ma has no one but himself to blame for his plunging popularity and he now faces daunting tasks ahead.
He has insisted that his government’s recent policies, including a proposal to relax the ban on US beef containing the livestock feed additive ractopamine to electricity and fuel price hikes, are necessary.
However, Ma’s determination to press ahead with “bold reforms” reflects his administration’s arbitrary policy making process, its poor communication with the legislative branch and its feeble public relations.
In face of unprecedented public discontent, Ma made a series of apologetic comments on Friday and Saturday, saying that he felt sorry that his government’s policies had caused inconvenience and generated a sense of unease among the public. However, he stopped short of offering a formal apology and failed to outline solid solutions to the problematic policies.
Ma’s inauguration speech yesterday lacked zest: He prioritized domestic issues by pledging to boost economic growth, narrow the wealth gap and pursue social justice, but his pledge to turn Taiwan into a nation of happiness was vague and context-free.
His remarks on cross-strait relations lacked substance and he avoided addressing the sensitive issue of possible political negotiations with China by reiterating the three noes — “no unification, no independence and no use of force” as well as the so-called “1992 consensus.”
On national defense, Ma repeated the government’s position that it will maintain a small, but strong defensive force and continue US arms purchases.
While Ma tried to paint a positive picture of the future, the situation will worsen in his second term, where he faces big challenges. China has been increasing pressure on his administration to enter into cross-strait political negotiations and it will press harder for a peace treaty during his second term.
Although Ma renewed his promise to maintain the cross-strait status quo under the three noes, this pledge will not stop Beijing from using its economic might to force Taiwan into political negotiations, especially as the government is scheduled to complete peripheral negotiations linked to the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) over the next two years.
Economically, with Europe’s debt crisis threatening further global financial instability, Taiwan’s outlook is far from positive and a recession could impact its slow recovery and worsen unemployment.
In his second term, Ma must avoid becoming too heavily reliant on China economically and must carry out his promise to protect national sovereignty while also seeking further economic ties with China.
It is important that Taiwan inks more global free-trade deals and it should play an active role in regional economic integration. It is also crucial that the government presents stimulus measures and encourages investment to boost local industries’ competitiveness.
Ma should communicate more with opposition parties and work harder to seek political consensus to resolve bipartisanship, as he promised he would do in his speech.
Most importantly, he must be a people’s president, as he pledged he would be when first elected in 2008. Only by listening to the people with humility can he really leave a historical legacy.
Could Asia be on the verge of a new wave of nuclear proliferation? A look back at the early history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, illuminates some reasons for concern in the Indo-Pacific today. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently described NATO as “the most powerful and successful alliance in history,” but the organization’s early years were not without challenges. At its inception, the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty marked a sea change in American strategic thinking. The United States had been intent on withdrawing from Europe in the years following
My wife and I spent the week in the interior of Taiwan where Shuyuan spent her childhood. In that town there is a street that functions as an open farmer’s market. Walk along that street, as Shuyuan did yesterday, and it is next to impossible to come home empty-handed. Some mangoes that looked vaguely like others we had seen around here ended up on our table. Shuyuan told how she had bought them from a little old farmer woman from the countryside who said the mangoes were from a very old tree she had on her property. The big surprise
The issue of China’s overcapacity has drawn greater global attention recently, with US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging Beijing to address its excess production in key industries during her visit to China last week. Meanwhile in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week said that Europe must have a tough talk with China on its perceived overcapacity and unfair trade practices. The remarks by Yellen and Von der Leyen come as China’s economy is undergoing a painful transition. Beijing is trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy out of a COVID-19 slump, the property crisis and
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry