From Political Appointee to Company Director

From Political Appointee to Company Director
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
August 23, 2007

Yeh Chu-lan has withdrawn from the "Hsieh/Yeh ticket." In exchange, she has been appointed Secretary General of the Presidential Office. Word has emerged from the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation that many out of work political appointees will become independent board members and receive handsome salaries. Ordinary shareholders are blasting this flagrant patronage. Last year the Presidential Palace declared it was "expressing its determination to push through reforms." It would no longer appoint highly paid presidential advisors. Yesterday however, word emerged that the Presidential Palace had already budgeted 7.2 billion NT for a new crop of presidential advisors and would soon begin hiring.

These three news items may appear unrelated. In fact they are closely linked. Chen Shui-bian regards government positions as personal rewards for services rendered. He awards these positions according to his personal whims. The negative example he has set no longer requires comment. Six reorganizations of the cabinet in seven years have created an army of former appointees. This army is now invading the private sector. The line between government and business is now thoroughly blurred. Under such circumstances, ringing slogans about reform merely ring hollow.

The money-losing Taiwan High Speed Rail has 24 vice-presidents. Each of them receives a mind-boggling average annual salary of 63.7 million NT (2 million US) a year. Three of these independent board members receive between two and five million NT. The Taiwan High Speed Rail is hardly an isolated case. Investigators report that former political appointees now serving as independent board members are too numerous to list. Former Executive Yuan Secretary General Wei Chi-lin is single-handedly serving on five boards. The Chen regime has had six Ministers of Finance. They have all joined holding companies, banks, and corporations and been appointed board chairmen.

This is remarkable for two reasons. First, the original reason for having independent board members was to increase internal oversight in order to better manage the company. But many businesses deliberately solicited former political appointees for such posts. Their motive was to solicit favors from the government based on the former political appointees' "guanxi." They hoped to ensure smooth sailing for their companies or receive advance notice of policy developments. Given such realities, how are independent board members who are so handsomely remunerated, so comfortably settled into their featherbeds, to act as independent overseers and fulfill their duty as internal watchdogs?

Second, according to the "Revolving Door Provisions" of the Civil Service Act, no departing official may not accept a company director or company official position in any industry he supervised during his term of office, for a period of three years. When the Democratic Progressive Party was out of office, it adopted a hard line on this matter. It was relentless in its crusade against Kuomintang patronage. Even lowly section chiefs were exempt. But now, an army of former appointees is being directly assigned to any number of state and private sector positions, by none other than the president himself. Many people within these businesses welcome the arrival of this army with open arms, totally ignoring the "Revolving Door Provision." They leave the government sector to join the business sector. They trample over the rule of law. They abandon their defense against political patronage. When the Democratic Progressive Party was out of office it championed one set of principles. Now that it is in power, it champions an entirely different set of principles. How sad is that?

From a more elevated perspective, it is not hard to see that the Chen regime's incompetence during its seven years in power has frittered away the nation's economic future. It has seriously undermined the Republic of China's once disciplined and efficient system of government, including the autonomy of its financial and economic decision-making agencies and the neutrality of the civil service. Who knows how long it will take to repair the destructive effects of Chen Shui-bian's two terms in power?

Consider three related questions: First, Chen Shui-bian repeatedly reorganized his cabinet during his seven years in office in order to create jobs for cronies. He abused people of talent. He demonstrated his contempt for civil service professionals. He undermined the stability and continuity of the nation's administrative system. Chen Shui-bian's ubiquitous meddling, combined with the Democratic Progressive Party's populist demagoguery, offered political appointees no room for independent, ethical, and responsible policy making. What kind of rational decision-making can one engage in, if every week one has to meet Prime Minister Chang Chun-hsiung's absurd demands for "A Benefit a Week?"

Second, the Chen regime corrupts people with remarkable speed and efficiency. The number of people willing to become cabinet ministers are as numerous as lemmings. Many covet these official positions. They know if they lose their government post for no reason, they will be immediately become board chairmen. Given such a vicious cycle, the cabinet is nothing but a "mass production machine for board chairmen." Looking back over the past seven years, one wonders, how such an arrangement can possibly cultivate people of ability. Chen Shui-bian's national policy advisory group was formed seven years ago. Within months advisors were leaving left and right. Now because of the upcoming election, Chen is recruiting new members. Isn't it obvious he is using public funds to buy himself political bosses who can deliver the vote?

Third, the army of political appointees manufactured by the Chen regime is now invading the business sector. They are unlikely to increase the quality of corporate management. They are likely to become albatrosses around management's neck. Generously provided with high salaries, these independent board members have become corporate gatekeepers. Whom among them remembers that once upon a time they were whistleblowers? The relationship between government officials and company officials has become an expanding gray area wide open to abuse. Is the Democratic Progressive Party truly unaware to this fact?

On stage, the curtain is about to ring up on the drama of the presidential election. But to those in the know, what is happening backstage, in dark corners where the spotlights cannot reach, far more frightening changes are going on.

政務官不政務，獨立董事不獨立
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.08.23 03:42 am

在葉菊蘭退出「謝葉配」而換得總統府祕書長一職之際，台灣高鐵也傳出多位卸任高官出任獨立董監事坐領高薪，而遭到小股東砲轟的事件。與此同時，總統府去年宣稱為「彰顯改革決心」不再聘任的資政，昨天也傳出已編列七千二百萬元預算，將恢復遴聘。

以上三則消息看似無關，實則脈絡相連。陳水扁將政府職位當成私人酬庸亂撒亂送，惡例多端，已不待言。而他七年六度改組釋出的大量政務官，則藉著內閣「過水」竄流至民營企業，將官商之間的權責界線弄得犬牙交錯。在這種情況下，信誓旦旦的改革口號，皆因官商界際渾沌，而流為空言。

虧損累累的高鐵，廿四位副總以上高層主管平均年薪達六百卅七萬元，令人咋舌；三位各有來頭的獨立董事，酬勞則在二百至五百萬元之間。不僅高鐵，經記者追查，卸任高官出任企業獨立董監事者不勝枚舉：曾任行政院祕書長的魏啟林即一人身兼五職，而扁政府任內曾六易財長，卸任後幾全數進了金控、銀行及企業擔任董事長。

在此，令人好奇的有二：其一，獨立董監事設置的初衷，原在增加內部監督，以健全公司治理。但許多企業刻意延攬卸任高官出任，目的均在乞助於其昔日之權力關係，協助企業排難解紛，或先一步獲知政策消息。在這樣的現實下，那些坐享高薪的獨立董監事，既已身陷「金沙發」，將如何扮演「獨立」監督的內部制衡角色？

其二，根據公務員服務法的「旋轉門條款」，公務員離職三年內，不得擔任其任內職務直接相關之企業董監事等職位。民進黨在野時，對此曾鞭策甚厲，對國民黨的酬庸人事窮追猛打，連科長級人員都不放過。但如今，眾多卸任政務官不僅可經總統直接欽點安插各公民營職務，許多人更在企業爭相迎迓下欣然登堂入室，根本無視於「旋轉門」之存在。出官入商，這不僅是對法制的傲慢與踐踏，實已形同對官商「利益輸送」防線的撤守。民進黨在野說一套，在朝做一套，可悲至此！

站高一點看，人們不難看出：扁政府執政七年的無能及失效，不僅虛耗了人民的機會和時光，更以嚴重的政治干預侵害了台灣行政體系原有的自律效能酖酖包括財經決策的獨立，以及專業官僚的中立。亦即，陳水扁兩任執政的破壞性後果，不知需要多麼長期的修補才能復元。

這裡，有三個環環相扣的問題：第一，陳水扁任內頻繁的內閣改組及因人設事，不僅是對人才的濫用，也是對公職的輕蔑，更是對國家政務穩定性、延續性的破壞。陳水扁的凡事插手，加上民進黨泛政治化及民粹式的問政手法，政務官幾乎沒有獨立決策的空間，遑論責任倫理。試想，每周要滿足府方為張揆訂下「一利多」要求的內閣部長們，還能有什麼理性決策？

第二，以扁政府蹧蹋人才之速率，願意入閣為官者仍多如過江之鯽，許多人無非覬覦那一頂官帽；即使無故丟官，也能立刻安插搖身變成企業董事長。在這種惡性循環下，內閣儼然是「董事長快速製造機」，但回顧這七年，何曾產生甚麼讓人驚艷的秀異之士？七年前以國政顧問團之清新，不數月即離心離德；如今為大選要再廣招資政，豈不擺明就是拿公帑收買選舉樁腳？

第三，扁政府拋出的政務官大量流入商界，未必有助於提升企業治理，卻嚴重增加了行政管理的困擾與負擔。在高薪渥遇的供養下，獨立董監事變成企業的「門神」，誰記得自己曾是「吹哨者」的角色？從官場漫向民間企業的權力關係，徒然擴大了法治的灰色地帶，這點，民進黨能一無所覺？

舞台上，總統選舉的大戲正熱鬧上演。但對有心的民眾而言，戲台幕後那些鎂光燈沒照到的角落，有更令人驚悚的變化在進行。