Public Construction Commis-sion Chairwoman Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪) assumed the leadership of the 921 Earthquake Post-Dis-aster Recovery Commission in August. Though her appointment was primarily based on electoral considerations, she might be a source of hope for quake victims.
When Kuo's predecessor, Chen Ching-huang (陳錦煌) left, he poked fun at himself by saying that he knew nothing about politics. One reason behind his departure was the problems surrounding the reconstruction of permanent housing. These problems were raised by those made homeless by the quake, who lambasted Premier Yu Shyi-kun during a meeting he chaired to discuss the reconstruction work. Many fundamental problems that existed when the commission was established remain. Chen was destined to leave sooner or later.
But how much authority does the commission have to resolve the problems? Quake victims can be categorized into three groups -- those who meet the qualifications stipulated in the Temporary Statute for Post-Earthquake Reconstruction (
The government should use the means available to take care of quake victims, with priority given to the first group. But this doesn't always happen. For example, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation (慈濟公德會), which distributes a lot of resources, gives priority to members of the third and second group over the first.
Another problem is that the government is still bound by old conventions, even though the reconstruction work should be conducted according to the Temporary Statute for Post-Earthquake Reconstruction. Those who used to condemn KMT administration officials as impotent have fallen into the same bad habits now that they are in control. Civil servants, like the arms of robots, don't have the ability to think independently. They either follow their chiefs' orders or abide by written regulations.
When the 921 recovery commission was set up two years ago, its inexperienced leaders could still treat talented people with courtesy and accept public opinion. But confrontations have escalated, especially over housing reconstruction. Since the commission's top officials lack experience in construction and development, many public enquiries are directed to the Division of Housing and Community Reconstruction. This division is composed of officials from the Ministry of the Interior's Construction and Planning Administration and their bureaucratic ways finally succeeding in driving Chen out of the commission.
Contradictions in the regulations have also hindered reconstruction work. It took one year to examine and approve the first case of land rezoning and development in Puli, near the epicenter of the earthquake. The case was finally approved in February, but further problems were then dis-covered, delaying construction. Seven months after the Division of Housing and Community Reconstruction and the Construction and Planning Administration promised to step in and resolve the situation, nothing has happened.
Disaster areas are like battlefields. With only a commander in chief and bumptious subordinates, no combat capabilities can develop. I suggest that Kuo order each of her immediate subordinates to meet specified goals within a set period of time or face punishment. Only in this way can we break through the current predicament.
Shr Jin-fang is an assistant professor of construction engineering at Chung Hua University.
TRANSLATED BY JACKIE LIN
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