Wed, Dec 02, 2009 page3

• ANALYSIS : Analysts perturbed by handling of US beef deal

  CRITICAL The way the Ma administration handled the relaxation of restrictions on US beef imports exhibited the early symptoms of an ‘aging regime,’ analysts said

  • By Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTER
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  The government led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) did a poor job in relaxing restrictions on US beef products as well as managing the controversy that followed in its wake, analysts said.

  On Oct. 23, the Department of Health announced the relaxation of import restrictions on US bone-in beef, ground beef, bovine intestines, brains, spinal cords and processed beef from cattle younger than 30 months that have not been contaminated with “specific risk materials.”

  In response to the Ma government’s rejection of the possibility of renegotiating with US beef producers, which the administration said would seriously undermine the country’s credibility, civic groups launched a signature drive last month to seek a referendum on whether the government should renegotiate import restrictions.

  Meanwhile, although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus has agreed to amend the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) to statutorily ban the imports, the legal revisions remain in limbo, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT caucuses failing to agree on the details of the proposed amendment.

  Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯), former editor-in-chief of the KMT-leaning Chinese-language China Times newspaper, said the way the Ma administration handled the crisis showed that it was not only “arrogant” and “ineffectual” but also showed early symptoms of an “aging regime.”

  Lee Yeau-tarn (李酉潭), a professor at National Chengchi University’s Graduate Institute of Development Studies, attributed the backlash to people’s fears over the safety of US beef and the Ma administration’s decision-making process.

  “As the KMT controls almost all of the country’s resources, including the media, judiciary, executive branch and the legislature, its absolute power only breeds absolute corruption and abuse of power,” he said.

  Although the Legislative Yuan agreed to amend the Act Governing Food Sanitation to ban the imports, the KMT-controlled legislature was nothing but a rubber stamp of the executive branch and the legal revision would be merely symbolic, he said.

  Lee said that although it was the Legislative Yuan’s duty to keep the executive branch in check, the legislature was weak and even Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) is at the mercy of Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman and has the power of nominating candidates for the office of legislative speaker.

  Facing such a majority government, people’s only option was to speak with their ballots in the next election, Lee said.

  Hawang Shiow-duan (黃秀端), a professor of political science at Soochow University, said the Ma administration could have negotiated a better deal, and that it did a poor job in convincing people that US bone-in beef and other beef products were safe.

  “After conducting such poor negotiations with Washington, how can they expect the public to trust that they can ban the imports of risky beef products?” she asked.

  Quoting a former National Security Council (NSC) official under the former DPP administration, she dismissed a statement by current NSC Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起), who said the Ma administration was more cautious than the DPP government had been in relaxing restrictions on US beef products.

  As Su has said that Taiwan would soon enter an era of negotiations, Hawang said she expected to see bigger storms brewing as the government seeks to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing next year and as both sides touch on political issues.

  Hawang said she did not know exactly why the government was unwilling to renegotiate beef imports with Washington, but added she was certain that the government could have drawn on public opinion or the opposition parties during the negotiation process or after the deal was sealed.

  “South Korea renegotiated a similar deal, so why can’t we?” she asked. “China, which is also a WTO member, even bans imports of all US beef and beef products.”

  US beef was not only an issue of food safety, but also an issue involving politics, diplomacy, policy elucidation and the will of the people, she said.

  Wang Yeh-lih (王業立), a political science professor at National Taiwan University, said the Ma administration could have done a better job of informing people about the negotiation process as it unfolded.

  “It does not necessarily have to inform the media or the legislature, but it should at least communicate with the government agencies involved,” he said. “Unfortunately, it not only failed to do so but also underestimated the eventual impact.”

  The government could also have provided the public with more information on the safety of US beef, he said, adding that even he as an educated professional was not certain whether it was safe to eat US beef.

  The panic sparked by the possibility of an easing in import restrictions signified that the government misjudged the public’s attitude, Wang said.

  “I am not sure whether US beef is that dangerous, but the government’s reaction, from announcing the policy to trying to convince the public of its safety, shows its misjudgment and miscommunication,” he said.

  Any negotiation causing such widespread public resentment should be considered a failure, Wang said.

  “Su has admitted that they did not expect such an adverse reaction. It only goes to show their impact assessment is questionable,” he said.

  Even though the government later agreed to revise the Act Governing Food Sanitation, Wang said, the policy had already caused panic and affected businesses, creating a lose-lose-lose situation for consumers, businesses and the government.

  Wang said that although South Korea had been able to renegotiate its deal with Washington, Taiwan had different bargaining chips.

  Taiwan needs more from the US than the other way around, Wang said, adding that this might explain why the Ma administration was reluctant to renegotiate, as it did not want to “anger” the US or lose more ground in other areas.

  The government should learn a lesson from the controversy, as the country is set to negotiate more issues with the US, China and other countries in the near future, he said.
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