President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) “new southbound policy” lacks an overall strategy and clear division of labor between government agencies, Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology research fellow Michael Hsiao (蕭新煌) said, urging the government to begin work on providing an overall framework and substance to its crowning policy proposal.
Hsiao said that this month is busy in Southeast Asia, with Singapore celebrating its National Day on Tuesday, Indonesia celebrating its Independence Day on Wednesday next week and Malaysia celebrating its Independence Day on Aug. 31, suggesting an upbeat mood in the region.
At the same time, undercurrents of change and danger can be observed, such as Thailand’s constitutional referendum, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, consequential moves by Vietnam’s regime that might lead to instability in the region, as well as continuing aftershocks of the recent South China Sea arbitration in The Hague, Hsiao said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
However, the government has so far shown “no discernible progress” in formulating an overall strategy, drafting mid-range goals or creating substance for the policy, Hsiao said.
While the Ministry of Economic Affairs does not have the authority to coordinate the policy, the New Southbound Policy Office, established by the Presidential Office, also lacks clout as a provisional organization, a problem that has resulted in inaction, Hsiao said.
He said that a coordinating agency should be established by the National Security Council to head effective orchestration and follow-through of the policy across governmental departments and agencies.
“Since the policy is touted as an economic strategy based on human factors, the government should pay more attention to the social and cultural life of Southeast Asian peoples in policymaking,” Hsiao said.
“For example, in the domestic management of migrant workers and foreign spouses from Southeast Asia, the government should take measures that would lead to coordinated efforts from the Ministry of the Interior, National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of Labor,” he added.
Hsiao said that the government should consider utilizing Taiwan’s abundant Buddhist religious organizations, its five mosques and 50,000 Muslims to conduct religious exchanges with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, while non-governmental organizations could be directed to interact with Pacific Island nations in the areas of humanitarian aid, climate change and cultural diplomacy and facilitate cultural exchanges with Austronesian peoples.
“As those fields of work are vital to the realization of the new southbound policy, but do not fall under the competencies of the Ministry of Economic Affairs or the Ministry Foreign Affairs, their implementation would require a coordinating office at the highest level of the government, and a clear-cut division of labor across governmental agencies and departments,” he said.
Hsiao said that it has been three months since the government was sworn in, and speeches by Tsai or talks by New Southbound Policy Office Director James Huang (黃志芳) at academic conferences no longer suffice in providing a framework for policymaking or implementation.
“The administration should begin fleshing out the overall framework, strategy, central guidelines and division of labor as soon as possible,” he said.
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