Taipei Times: What will be the orientation of the Taiwan Think Tank (
Wea Chi-lin (
TT: How would you characterize the ties between the DPP-led government and the Taiwan Think Tank, since some have argued that the think thank could serve as a training ground for future DPP talent, especially given the shortage of talent within the DPP?
Wea: It is people outside of the think tank who have advanced such arguments, not us. We have never said that the DPP will be the target of our efforts, as it is just one of the political parties in Taiwan. We will target the government and, indeed, the nation as a whole. The Taiwan Think Tank is not affiliated to any political party.
Besides, given that research and development within government has been restricted by rigid regulations, we think that good policy input requires vitality in civil society.
The administration has to spring into action now because Taiwan is running out of time to address many substantial issues.
Taiwan is seeking consensus on various key issues of national urgency. This new think tank will serve as a bridge between various think tanks to forge a consensus, so key players in other think tanks such as Wu Rong-I (吳榮義), president of Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, will be invited to take part in our discussions.
TT: To what extent can you ensure that the think tank will serve as an effective ``bridge,'' as you put it, to provide high-quality policy input?
Wea: This think tank has, in a way, operated for about a year before being formally set up, whereas other think tanks began to operate only after their establishment. Each of our forums has about 20 to 40 members, and each has held between five and eight meetings, which were confidential to ensure the quality of discussion and addressed issues of urgency facing Taiwan.
One of our principal characteristics is that we call our meetings "lunch-box-eating conferences (
What's also special about this group is that each participant is expected not only to identify key problems but also to offer solutions. Many in Taiwan have been able to identify problems but few can come up with feasible solutions.
Our task is to identify people who can offer solutions, regardless of their ideology or party alignment, to exchange ideas before forging feasible, thorough and comprehensive policy suggestions.
TT: Critics have reservations on the policies offered by think tanks, arguing that these policies come from people in ivory towers and are not workable. How can the Taiwan Think Tank avoid such criticism?
Wea: Groups of experts from within the government are invited to attend our meetings.
These civil servants have served at the director-general or section chief level within government and will point out possible difficulties and supply background information during discussions.
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