The credibility and approval ratings of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) have dropped to the lowest point since his first-term inauguration in 2008, with more than 45 percent of respondents in a public opinion poll released yesterday in favor of recalling Ma.
The president’s credibility rating is now at 23.6 percent and his approval rating is at 16.5 percent, both new lows, with 71.7 percent of the respondents saying they were unsatisfied with his performance, the poll conducted by Taiwan Indicator Research Survey (TIRS) showed.
Strong discontent among the public appeared to be why 45.7 percent of those who polled said they would vote to recall Ma, while 40.7 percent disapproving of a recall and 16.7 percent saying they had no opinion.
According to TIRS general manager Tai Li-an (戴立安), the numbers were similar to a poll conducted in June 2006 when former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was accused of corruption in his second term.
At the time, Tai said 47 percent of those polled supported recalling Chen, while 40.9 percent were against it.
While a motion of no confidence against the Cabinet failed to pass the legislature on Saturday, respondents’ disgruntlement appeared to remain strong, with 46.4 percent saying that Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) and his Cabinet should be replaced, compared with 34.5 percent who opposed the reshuffle.
Out of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) supporters, 26.5 percent were in favor of Chen being replaced, the survey showed.
Regarding Cabinet officials in charge of economic affairs, 43 percent of respondents said they would give the officials three months to revitalize the economy, while 34.7 percent said the officials should be replaced immediately and 9.6 percent said there was no need to remove the officials.
The TIRS poll collected 1,007 valid samples on Monday and Tuesday, and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
NO FREE LUNCH: Taiwanese joining the trips to China met TAO and United Front Work officials who urged them to vote for candidates who support closer ties with Beijing The Ciaotou Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung yesterday released two suspects on bail who have been accused of recruiting Taiwanese to join tours to China funded by Beijing and in which they were urged to vote for pan-blue candidates in January’s presidential and legislative elections. The pan-blue camp generally refers to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party, the New Party and the Young China Party, which support closer relations with China. Prosecutors said that a man, surnamed Cheng (鄭), and a woman, surnamed Yeh (葉), who are members of the China Pan-Blue Association, recruited Taiwanese tourists to join tours arranged
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday slammed a proposal by New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, to permit a “significant number” of Chinese students to study and work in Taiwan, saying it would be detrimental to young Taiwanese. At an event on Monday hosted by nine major industrial and business groups, Hou said that if elected, he would reinitiate cross-strait dialogue on the premise that Taiwan’s dignity would not be compromised and that the talks would be held in good faith. The talks would include lifting a ban on Chinese tour groups and
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COUNTER DISINFORMATION: More engagement and media literacy are needed to push back against misinformation and claims that the US is an unreliable partner, the AIT director said The US is “confident” that Taiwan does not face an imminent threat of a Chinese invasion, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk told a US public radio show, adding that Washington remains committed to defensively arming the nation. She made the comment during an interview on All Things Considered, broadcast on Friday on US-based National Public Radio. “There is an important distinction between making plans and training troops, and getting ready to do something,” Oudkirk said, on whether she thinks Beijing plans to attack Taiwan in the near future. Chinese officials have told Washington that “their preference is for peaceful reunification,
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