The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ rationale for electricity rate increases last year was that state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) needed the hikes to relieve its mounting debt. However, how should the nation make sense of Taipower’s remarks last week that it had no plan to lower its rates anytime soon, even though it might see its first profitable year since 2006 thanks to the recent fall in global crude oil prices?
Global crude oil prices have dropped by more than a third since the middle of June, but how come fuel prices charged by state-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC) and privately run Formosa Petrochemical Corp have not matched that decline, falling less than 20 percent during the same period? Has the Fair Trade Commission ever taken a hard line on the two refiners over their potential monopoly in this nation?
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has often touted the benefits of last year’s economic cooperation agreement with New Zealand, stressing the increase in bilateral trade as well as growing cultural exchange and tourism between the two nations. Yet, how can the continued rise in prices of infant formula and milk powder be explained, despite decreased import tariffs and lower costs for producers in New Zealand and other countries over the past two years?
How many seemingly unthinkable issues will it take before President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration admits that the public’s anger toward the government has risen to a peak? Does this government still not know that a majority of voters were so furious with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) that it handed the party an unprecedented defeat in the Nov. 29 elections?
It is so obvious that rising costs of living in terms of higher prices of food, consumer items and utilities have pinched households — which have seen wage levels remain stagnant for more than a decade — let alone some other policies that have hurt business conditions for small and medium-sized companies, plus further degradation in both social justice and fairness.
Running a country is never an easy task, and government officials sometimes face judgment calls that can have grave consequences for the public and the nation. There is no simple solution, but there are steps which, if taken properly, could do much to lead the nation onto the right track. At the top of the list: The nation needs to have responsible and courageous officials in government who can take immediate action to stabilize consumer prices. In particular, the Fair Trade Commission needs to show its teeth at any and all unethical corporate behavior and market irregularities, and should punish businesses that are found to have participated in monopoly pricing, collusion or cartel activity.
Both before and after the elections, many lawmakers across party lines urged the government to become more responsible, initiating necessary action that takes into account people’s livelihoods. However, the minimal reshuffle in the Cabinet is unlikely to change things for the better during the remainder of Ma’s term.
So what is the point of reshuffling the Cabinet for the sake of reorganizing? What Taiwanese need is substance in a new Cabinet, not form. Satisfying the public might be thought of as a cliche by most government officials, but that does not mean it is an unworthy effort.
However, there have been no signs that Ma is listening to the voice of the public, thus there is little expectation that the KMT government will empathize with and care about people’s livelihoods, especially those of ordinary people. This is pathetic.
Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on April 9 said that the first group of Indian workers could arrive as early as this year as part of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India and the India Taipei Association. Signed in February 2024, the MOU stipulates that Taipei would decide the number of migrant workers and which industries would employ them, while New Delhi would manage recruitment and training. Employment would be governed by the laws of both countries. Months after its signing, the two sides agreed that 1,000 migrant workers from India would
In recent weeks, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of public anxiety over the possible introduction of Indian migrant workers. What began as a policy signal from the Ministry of Labor quickly escalated into a broader controversy. Petitions gathered thousands of signatures within days, political figures issued strong warnings, and social media became saturated with concerns about public safety and social stability. At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward policy question: Should Taiwan introduce Indian migrant workers or not? However, this framing is misleading. The current debate is not fundamentally about India. It is about Taiwan’s labor system, its
Japan’s imminent easing of arms export rules has sparked strong interest from Warsaw to Manila, Reuters reporting found, as US President Donald Trump wavers on security commitments to allies, and the wars in Iran and Ukraine strain US weapons supplies. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling party approved the changes this week as she tries to invigorate the pacifist country’s military industrial base. Her government would formally adopt the new rules as soon as this month, three Japanese government officials told Reuters. Despite largely isolating itself from global arms markets since World War II, Japan spends enough on its own
On March 31, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs released declassified diplomatic records from 1995 that drew wide domestic media attention. One revelation stood out: North Korea had once raised the possibility of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In a meeting with visiting Chinese officials in May 1995, as then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin (江澤民) prepared for a visit to South Korea, North Korean officials objected to Beijing’s growing ties with Seoul and raised Taiwan directly. According to the newly released records, North Korean officials asked why Pyongyang should refrain from developing relations with Taiwan while China and South Korea were expanding high-level
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