While public attention is focusing on a possible Cabinet reshuffle in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, analysts said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) should abandon the pattern of appointing sycophants when he reorganizes the government this week.
Official figures showed that by Sept. 3, Morakot had left at least 614 people dead. The real death toll, however, might never be known because many are feared to have been buried alive in mountainous areas.
The political fallout from the typhoon has included doubts about Ma’s leadership abilities, a lack of trust in his administration, a possible setback in the year-end local elections and plunging popularity levels.
Ma’s approval rating has plummeted to an all-time low of 16 percent in the wake of the disaster, a TVBS poll showed, while that of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan’s (劉兆玄) fell to 13 percent.
A poll by the Chinese-language United Daily News, a pro-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) daily, found that Ma’s popularity had dropped to 29 percent, while Liu’s was 20 percent.
To salvage their sinking popularity, Ma began his “apology tour” on Aug. 19 and Liu moved to the south on Wednesday to gain a better understanding of the worst-hit disaster areas.
Calls for Ma’s resignation and for a Cabinet reshuffle have been heard, while the government watchdog, the Control Yuan, said it would look into the responsibilities of Ma and Liu in the handling of the emergency.
Ma has made it clear that he would not step down. He has also said that he and Liu would determine the nature of the reprimands that will be handed to officials who failed to address the disaster appropriately sometime this month.
Many analysts have speculated that Ma would keep Liu and reorganize parts of the Cabinet.
Hawang Shiow-duan (黃秀端), a professor of political science at Soochow University, said that regardless of whether Ma changed the entire Cabinet or only parts of it, the most important thing remains Ma’s pattern of appointment, adding that Ma has long been criticized for his tendency to hire people who agree with him while swiftly rejecting those who don’t.
“I think the one who most desperately needs rescue is him,” she said. “Although many people think he is clean and law-abiding, there’s always doubts about the manner in which he hires people. As a national leader, his job is to lead, but unfortunately he has failed to do so.”
Ma could never tolerate people like former national policy adviser Lin Huo-wang (林火旺), Hawang said, adding that Lin was too outspoken and different from Ma, who grew up in a well-off family and knew little about hardship.
Lin has openly criticized the Cabinet’s slow response to Morakot and went public about the dismissive attitude of Cabinet officials about Morakot. Lin said he had no choice but to speak out because Ma was not taking his suggestions seriously.
Hawang said Ma did not necessarily have to be the smartest leader, but that he had to realize the importance of appointing individuals who disagree with him or who are even more knowledgeable than him.
“The problem, however, is that he is not only incompetent, but also selfish and reluctant to take responsibilities,” she said.
Hawang said she did not know whether Ma wanted to keep Liu, but if he did, it might be only temporary because Ma is waiting to find someone to replace Liu.
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