China and South Korea might be about to sign a free-trade agreement (FTA), and suddenly fears of South Korea are resurfacing in Taiwan. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and Cabinet ministers say that if the nation does not pass the cross-strait service trade agreement right now and fails to quickly follow up by signing a service in goods agreement with China, the economy will suffer.
The government keeps repeating the same arguments. When the student-led Sunflower movement occupied the legislature in March and April to prevent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) railroading through the service trade agreement, Ma warned that if the agreement was not passed, the economy would meet with a quick death. Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) also criticized the students, saying that by opposing the agreement, they were working against their own futures.
Still, the agreement was not passed, and the economy did not die — instead the stock market surged and almost reached 10,000 points, as if to drive home the point that what the government said was completely divorced from reality.
National Development Council Minister Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) is issuing his threats using the FTA between China and South Korea, saying that the agreement will result in the marginalization of Taiwan, which will fall behind South Korea as South Korean goods take over the Chinese market.
Hearing these statements by government officials, the public can but shake their heads, because the power to do something about them is in their hands.
If Taiwan is afraid that an FTA between China and South Korea will lead to the nation’s economic marginalization, then Ma should ask Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to help instead of running around and interfering with Taiwan’s attempts to join international organizations. The government has done nothing of the sort. Instead, it only threatens Taiwanese and behaves as if it were in opposition rather than being in charge of things. Power might be in their hands, but still our inept government officials keep blaming the public.
Taiwan is not doing as badly as the government seems to think; it is all a matter of officials frightening each other. The government has lost its way, and thanks to its inability to govern and its inefficiency, it has squandered every last shred of public credibility.
The government is incapable of creating a business-friendly environment, but it continues to blame others, complaining that the legislature does not do as it is told, that opposition parties are blocking its policies and that students are wreaking havoc, and that all this has destroyed the outlook for talks about trade agreements. This is all very irresponsible.
Although the government is slowing them down, private businesses are working very hard, and without relying on government assistance, companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, Hon Hai, Largan Precision Co, Delta Electronics and MediaTek have all been able to get a piece of global markets as export orders have increased for several consecutive months, revenues keep reaching new highs and share prices soar.
Although Beijing keeps isolating Taipei and the government slows down progress in the private sector, Taiwanese businesses keep saying: “Life finds a way,” as Jeff Goldblum’s character said in Jurassic Park. The government is incapable of clearing the way for business.
If the services and goods trade agreements are good for Taiwan, if setting up free economic pilot zones is effective, if it really will be necessary to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, then the government should bring forward concrete and detailed proof to convince the legislature, engage in debate with the opposition and explain it to the public.
Not doing so is dereliction of duty, and to keep blaming others for their problems and threatening the public is thoroughly disappointing.
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