The ministry of digital development is expected to open as early as the first quarter of this year, after the legislature on Dec. 28 approved the Cabinet’s plan to establish the new body.
This is good news. Developing a digital economy is an effective way for advanced countries to enhance their power, and it has become a major part of the nation’s strategy to promote industry.
The ministry, as a dedicated and specialist organization, is expected to play a pivotal role in coordinating the development of the digital economy and assisting all sectors in this transformation. The task is difficult, but crucial.
The question of where this new authority should be located must be considered carefully.
For an example of the thorny issue of location, look no further than the member list of the 16th Executive Yuan Human Rights Protection Task Force.
Appointed in August last year, 13 members of the group are from the private sector. Although these experts are leaders in their fields, in terms of geographical distribution, they are all based in Taipei or New Taipei City, with the southernmost affiliated institution, National Taipei University, in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽).
No human rights experts or academics based further south of the Taipei area were invited to join the task force. This Taipei-centric tunnel vision is disturbing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic era, companies across Taiwan and around the world have been waking up to the benefits of having employees working from home, and they are able to do this through digital technology.
This trend started many years ago, but the pandemic was a catalyst, and the phenomenon of remote working has become an irreversible trend.
It is therefore possible to recruit specialists living anywhere in the nation, not just in the north. As the primary promoter of digital national power development, those responsible for selecting the site of the ministry of digital development should be more forward thinking.
If those in power continue to only prioritize the nation’s capital, as seen with the human rights task force, and continue to establish new authorities or institutions in Taipei for the “convenience” of the government and top party officials based there, what can Taiwanese expect from the ministry of digital development?
Lo Cheng-chung is a professor and director of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s Institute of Financial and Economic Law.
Translated by Lin Lee-kai
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