President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has seen his approval rating nearly halved since his May 20 inauguration because of public anger over the nation’s deteriorating economy, a newspaper poll published yesterday found.
The telephone poll of 1,029 adults by the United Daily News showed that satisfaction with Ma has dropped from 66 percent on his inauguration day to its lowest level, 37 percent, on Tuesday.
Of those respondents who said they were discontented with Ma, 32 percent said he had failed to revive Taiwan’s economy, 21 percent thought he was not bold enough in his administration, while the rest said Ma’s policies changed too often and he was too soft in dealing with China.
However, 54 percent of those polled said Ma has the ability to run the country, while 32 percent said he lacks the ability to lead Taiwan.
During his election campaign, Ma promised that if he won, he would raise Taiwan’s annual economic growth rate to 6 percent, keep the jobless rate below 3 percent and raise per capita income to US$30,000.
The government’s forecast for this year’s economic growth is 4.3 percent, but several international financial institutions predicted that growth in Taiwan’s GDP would slow to 2 percent or even lower next year.
Also, a government survey released yesterday showed that 50.6 percent of the public disapproved of Ma’s performance, while the disapproval rate of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) was 53.5 percent.
The survey was conducted by the Cabinet’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission last Monday and Tuesday.
The poll, which surveyed 1,089 effective samples from adults aged over 20 nationwide, found 43.2 percent of respondents approved of Ma’s performance so far, down from 47 percent in a poll the commission conducted in August after Ma’s first three months in office.
The poll released yesterday showed that 50.6 percent were displeased with Ma’s performance, higher than the 36.3 percent in the August poll.
The poll also showed Liu’s approval rate dropped from 41.9 percent in August to 37.7 percent this month, while his disapproval rate surged from 37.9 percent in August to 53.5 percent this month.
The survey showed that 48.9 percent of the respondents said they believed Liu would do a better job in the future, while 32.4 percent of the respondents did not.
When asked whether they were satisfied with the overall performance of the government, the disapproval rate went from 39 percent in August to 54.7 percent this month, while the approval rate went from 44 percent to 40.2 percent.
However, the survey also showed that 54 percent of the respondents said they believed the government performed better in the last three months than in its first three months in office.
According to the survey, 52.7 percent of respondents were satisfied with the government’s cross-strait relations, while 41.4 percent were dissatisfied. Sixty-four percent of the respondents were satisfied with government policies in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and reducing energy consumption, while 29 percent were dissatisfied.
The government is aiming to recruit 1,096 foreign English teachers and teaching assistants this year, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. The foreign teachers would work closely with elementary and junior-high instructors to create and teach courses, ministry official Tsai Yi-ching (蔡宜靜) said. Together, they would create an immersive language environment, helping to motivate students while enhancing the skills of local teachers, she said. The ministry has since 2021 been recruiting foreign teachers through the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program, which offers placement, salary, housing and other benefits to eligible foreign teachers. Two centers serving northern and southern Taiwan assist in recruiting and training
WIDE NET: Health officials said they are considering all possibilities, such as bongkrekic acid, while the city mayor said they have not ruled out the possibility of a malicious act of poisoning Two people who dined at a restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 last week have died, while four are in intensive care, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday. All of the outlets of Malaysian vegetarian restaurant franchise Polam Kopitiam have been ordered to close pending an investigation after 11 people became ill due to suspected food poisoning, city officials told a news conference in Taipei. The first fatality, a 39-year-old man who ate at the restaurant on Friday last week, died of kidney failure two days later at the city’s Mackay Memorial Hospital. A 66-year-old man who dined
EYE ON STRAIT: The US spending bill ‘doubles security cooperation funding for Taiwan,’ while also seeking to counter the influence of China US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a US$1.2 trillion spending package that includes US$300 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan, as well as funding for Taipei-Washington cooperative projects. The US Congress early on Saturday overwhelmingly passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act 2024 to avoid a partial shutdown and fund the government through September for a fiscal year that began six months ago. Under the package, the Defense Appropriations Act would provide a US$27 billion increase from the previous fiscal year to fund “critical national defense efforts, including countering the PRC [People’s Republic of China],” according to a summary
‘CARRIER KILLERS’: The Tuo Chiang-class corvettes’ stealth capability means they have a radar cross-section as small as the size of a fishing boat, an analyst said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday presided over a ceremony at Yilan County’s Suao Harbor (蘇澳港), where the navy took delivery of two indigenous Tuo Chiang-class corvettes. The corvettes, An Chiang (安江) and Wan Chiang (萬江), along with the introduction of the coast guard’s third and fourth 4,000-tonne cutters earlier this month, are a testament to Taiwan’s shipbuilding capability and signify the nation’s resolve to defend democracy and freedom, Tsai said. The vessels are also the last two of six Tuo Chiang-class corvettes ordered from Lungteh Shipbuilding Co (龍德造船) by the navy, Tsai said. The first Tuo Chiang-class vessel delivered was Ta Chiang (塔江)