A recent directive by the Executive Yuan instructing government agencies to communicate to the public that “Taiwan has become happier over the past seven years” under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration was met with criticism by opposition lawmakers as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Ma first took office in 2008.
The Executive Yuan on Monday last week sent notices to various government offices instructing employees to promote the government’s performance from next month until July.
Materials highlighting these accomplishments should be disseminated through various channels, such as Internet videos, radio announcements and flyers, the Executive Yuan said, adding that agencies should employ a “softer approach.”
Sources added that the Executive Yuan had even suggested which topics deserved a positive spin.
The Ministry of the Interior was asked to prepare materials describing decreased rates of crime and “excellent public security,” while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked to extol the government’s “flexible diplomatic policies,” sources said, adding that the Ministry of Labor was instructed to make known that salaries have been raised several times.
However, the move was criticized by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Just last week there was a bank robbery in Yunlin County, and Kaohsiung Prison warden Chen Shih-chih (陳世志) was held hostage by inmates in February, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said, adding that these incidents did not demonstrate excellent public security.
Referring to public discontent, Kuan mentioned the Sunflower movement that began in March last year, saying that the public is angry because Taiwanese feel that they are moving further from happiness.
Kuan added that Ma’s poor choice of topics has aroused public ire once again.
Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) said that the Ma administration was focused on trivialities and would be seen as a joke.
People First Party Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) said that any attempt to “beautify” the Ma administration would be a waste of taxpayers’ money, as Taiwanese have lost faith in the central government over the past seven years.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chi Kuo-tung (紀國棟) said he did not know whether the campaign would work, but said it was better than nothing.
However, Chi added that the public was numb and that their feelings could be adequately expressed with the word men (悶).
The word was mentioned in a question posed by foreign academics to Ma at the Fulbright Research Workshop in Taipei in March this year, where it was defined as “a feeling of stagnation or having no way forward.”
In response to legislators’ comments, Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) said the Executive Yuan’s directive was not out of the ordinary and was a normal part of the process of letting the public know what the government has achieved.
Executive Yuan spokesman Sun Li-chyun (孫立群) said the campaign was just one method of spreading understanding of where the government stands and how many of the president’s policies have been implemented.
“It is all standard work — nothing exceptional,” Sun said, adding that the funding for the campaign would be deducted from budgets already allotted.
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