As the new year begins, now is the best time for the government to shake up its administration. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should make every effort to use its second term to create value.
The party must synchronize its pace, which is currently disorderly, and form a well-disciplined team that takes responsibility and faces up to challenges.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has remained calm and steady when dealing with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since her inauguration almost two years ago. However, many Taiwanese wonder why she is so worried about criticism and uncertain about what to do when dealing with internal affairs.
Taiwan’s external challenges are far more serious than Tsai’s domestic ones, because they are beyond her control, while she can control most domestic issues. In addition, there is virtually no one left to challenge the DPP.
Why, then, has the government failed to live up to expectations domestically? The problem is probably a matter of leadership influenced by power factors.
As the constitutional system cannot be changed for the time being, the DPP must accept that it will not be able to fully implement its presidential campaign platform, because each proposal must be tested against reality and it is necessary to consider the views of affected parties.
The government appears to lack a sense of timing when evaluating at what time or under what conditions policies can best be implemented. It must also tackle problems in order of priority and stop thinking about solving them all at once: The consequences of fighting too many battles concurrently are obvious.
The past is the past and the DPP must think twice before it acts from now on to avoid further mistakes. However, Tsai recently revealed her new economic platform to the media, saying that her dream is to raise the minimum monthly wage to NT$30,000 and implement a minimum wage act.
Reporters then asked how she would go about achieving these goals, but the Ministry of Labor merely answered that it is still collecting information and that the timeline remains uncertain. The ministry does not even have a formula for calculating the minimum wage.
Is this a matter of traditional bureaucracy being unable to meet the DPP’s demands or did Tsai reveal the policies too early, before the decisionmaking process was completed? Neither answer shows the government to have a sense of pacing.
Another negative example is the labor ministry’s survey on the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), which was criticized by the DPP recently. The survey, which was conducted in November, asked respondents if it was necessary to amend the act, rather than if they approved of the Cabinet’s proposed amendments.
The ministry failed to offer an explanation in connection with the survey. No wonder it was criticized.
One major problem is the legislature. The DPP’s public officials make a show of unity during elections, but once in power, all they care about is their own performance. As a result, the executive and legislative branches are blocked from moving forward by a few lawmakers.
This often leaves the team leaderless and unable to coordinate pacing or act resolutely when a problem occurs. The administration can often only vaguely describe a problem and has proven unable to propose a clear direction or concrete solutions to problems it encounters.
How will it be able to improve public satisfaction?
This is an election year and there are many variables at play in politics. If the government really wants to improve the public’s satisfaction and avoid ridicule, surely it must reshuffle the executive team?
Tzou Jiing-wen is the editor-in-chief of the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper).
Translated by Eddy Chang
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