Nikita Khrushchev once made fun of how politicians in democratic countries would do just about anything to attract votes. "They make a bridge even though there is no river," he said. For some, his words might have been hard to swallow. But they were right on the mark about democratic politics.
Since Tang Fei
Tang met with Chen on July 4 and hammered out some principles on how to handle those pesky election promises. Immediately afterwards, he called an emergency meeting of the heads of all agencies in charge of financial affairs. The 10-point policy announcement that followed that meeting included a pledge not to consider tax hikes before trying a variety of belt-tightening measures and a decision to introduce social welfare programs gradually, in line with the government's fiscal ability.
The announcement provided a timely clarification of the Cabinet's confusing financial policy. After almost 50 days of bedlam, the cabinet finally sang out a neat chorus. There was an immediate response from the stock market, which rose more than 300 points.
Tang's cabinet is handicapped by its lack of bureaucrats experienced in financial and economic management. Chen needs big money to make good on his campaign promises, but he inherited a depleted treasury. The proposals to reduce working hours and provide pensions for the elderly have developed beyond the Executive Yuan's control. Not even a major cut in construction budgets will fill the blackholes in the Cabinet's budget.
Since the new government took office, its agencies have come up with a cornucopia of proposals, including tax hikes, a national security tax, reviewing tax incentives for high-tech industries, a tax on employees' share dividends and two-day weekends for civil servants. The government's desire to stabilize the stock market was neutralized by policies considered non-beneficial to the market. No wonder the market tumbled for half a month.
Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh
It has taken 50 days for Tang's cabinet to reach this painful conclusion. The Cabinet can now develop a rhythm for its term in office, as agencies coordinate their policies and set priorities. The Cabinet can then pick its own priorities from among those proposed.
Voters are generally greedy and politicians only know how to pander to them. Promises fill the air during election campaigns, but no one reminds voters that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Former US Vice President Walter Mondale, who ran as the Democratic presidential candidate in the 1984 election, was one of those rarities, an honest candidate. He told voters that he might raise taxes and Ronald Reagan won the election as a result. In the 1988 election, Republican candidate George Bush said famously, "read my lips, no new taxes." But after he became president, he was forced to announce tax hikes -- and lost his re-election bid as a result.
Voters may be blaming Chen for back-tracking on his promises. But they would do well to think how they could possibly get off scot-free after demanding so much in the form of welfare from the government.
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