Faced with a consistently low approval rating, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration should have a sense of crisis and strive to boost the economy, raise the employment rate and increase salary levels to win back the public’s support, a group of national policy advisers were quoted as saying at a meeting with the president on Friday.
The gathering, which was attended by nearly 40 advisers, was the latest in a series of similar meetings Ma has held this month with Cabinet members and senior and national policy advisers to hear suggestions on national policies amid growing public discontent over the government’s performance.
Several polls conducted in the latter half of this year found Ma’s approval rating lingering near the 20 percent mark — and sometimes even dropping below 15 percent.
“The administration’s performance in terms of policymaking has been received negatively by the public, in part because of the aftermath caused by its decision to raise fuel prices and electricity rates,” former Greater Taichung Council chairman and national policy adviser Lin Jen-te (林仁德) quoted a number of advisers as saying.
With more than three years left in Ma’s second term as president, his administration must strive to improve a lackluster economy and alleviate the public’s financial plight by being sensitive to and formulating policies that meet their needs, Lin quoted the advisers as saying.
They also urged Ma to adopt well-rounded complementary measures before enacting a national policy, while warning the president against what they described as a lack of discretion among some Cabinet and government officials when making comments pertaining to government policies, Lin said.
The Ma administration has given the public the perception that Ma lacks decisiveness and is constantly “dragging his feet” when making policy decisions, national policy adviser Lee Tsung-chi (李總集) said, as evidenced by its contentious handling of issues related to the year-end bonus for government retirees and the lifting of a ban on US beef containing the livestock feed additive ractopamine.
Singling out the US beef controversy, Lee said the Ma administration could have avoided criticism that it made contradictory remarks, if it had been frank with the public from the onset by admitting that the government was indeed under US pressure to relax the import ban.
However, national policy adviser Tsai Ling-lan (蔡鈴蘭), who did not join Friday’s meeting because of a scheduling conflict, said grassroots opinions were divided on the Ma administration’s performance.
“There are people who defend the government by attributing the nation’s poor economic performance to a sluggish global environment, while others lambast Ma for driving up commodity prices,” Tsai said.
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
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