The Leader of a Nation Should Be Preoccupied with Economic Growth

The Leader of a Nation Should Be Preoccupied with Economic Growth
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 26, 2010

Executive Summary: Tsai Ing-wen said "President Ma's head is filled only with thoughts of economic growth and increased GDP." This is truly flabbergasting. The Cold War is over. Ideology is in retreat. Globalization has transformed economic and trade relations, The key to national governance is now economic governance. Economic growth and increased GDP are the key indicators of sound economic governance. If the president's head is indeed "filled only with thoughts of economic development and increased GDP," so what? What is wrong with that?

Full Text below:

Cross-Strait issues have vanished from the five cities election campaigns without a trace. Even economic issues seem to have faded from the agenda. Fortunately at the eleventh hour, DPP leaders have seen fit to remind everyone they have not forgotten it. At a campaign rally Tsai Ing-wen told the crowd that even though many people remain in dire economic straits, the KMT chose to hold a carnival style parade. She said "President Ma's head is filled only with thoughts of economic growth and increased GDP."

President Ma responded to Tsai Ing-wen's criticism. He said that without economic growth, how can one equalize the distribution of wealth? How can one extricate people from their economic plight? Whether political parties should hold carnival style parades depends on whom you ask. But to condemn the leader of a nation for being concerned about the state of the economy, and to characterize his concern as some sort of delusion or sin, is truly incomprehensible. Whether President Ma's head is in fact "filled only with thoughts of economic growth and increased GDP" is another matter. But ensuring economic growth is the key to governing a nation. If a president is preoccupied with the economy, we can hardly say that is wrong.

Chen Shui-bian governed for eight years. He drained all vitality out of the economy. As a result industries withered on the vine. Many young and middle-aged workers remain unemployed. The DPP can hardly shirk responsibility. After assuming office the Ma administration removed political and economic shackles. As a result Taiwan's economy has gradually climbed out of the financial crisis. This year Taiwan's growth rate will be close to 10%, establishing a record 20 year high. Per capita income is expected to reach 19,000 USD, breaking through the barrier of the past decade. Unemployment has fallen below 5%. Therefore although "many people remain in dire economic straits," one can hardly wipe away the economic achievements of the Ma administration in one fell swoop.

When the Democratic Progressive Party was in office, how many times did it say it was determined to "revitalize the economy?" When Chen Shui-bian took office in 2000 and established the Economic Development Council, he vowed to "revitalize the economy." What followed instead was "My daughter has now been married," "I have now become a grandfather," "My son Chih-chung has now married," and so on, and so forth. Chen Shui-bian solemnly declared at least 28 times that "The most important task during my term of office will be economic revitalization." This means that Chen Shui-bian also knew that economic growth was the key to national governance. But selfishness and corruption during his eight years of misrule saw the economy go from bad to worse. Only in his private vaults did the piles of money grown higher and higher.

Chen Shui-bian paid empty lip service to economic revitalization. Tsai Ing-wen has yet to utter a single word of apology. Ma Ying-jeou has dramatically improved the nation's economy. Yet she accuses him of ignoring the feelings of the poor. Tsai Ing-wen's political compass appears to be broken. Perhaps someone should provide her with one that works. Lest we forget, when the DPP was in office, it set a record for the highest suicide rate in Taiwan's history, not to mention a wave of young and middle-aged unemployment. This makes Tsai Ing-wen's accusations against Ma Ying-jeou even more incredible.

The problem can be seen from two perspectives. First, the factual perspective. No sooner had the Ma administration taken office, than the financial tsunami struck. As a result the economy failed to improve "immediately." But as we can see today, it did improve "steadily." By contrast, the DPP is playing the "good governance" card. If it is referring to its economic performance during its eight years in office, it can't begin to compare with the Ma administration. Secondly, the social perspective. Although the DPP has expressed concern for disadvantaged members of society, it has not in fact promoted economic growth or increased our GDP. This means its effusive expressions of concern are nothing more than hypocritical and empty talk. The DPP expects to dispense economic subsidies even as it neglects economic growth. No economic system can do what the DPP expects. For example, the DPP canceled relief for the elderly in Taoyuan County, but then placed the blame on Chu Li-lun. What did the DPP do, but shoot itself in the foot?

Tsai Ing-wen opposed ECFA. Therefore she issued a statement opposing economics first and export-oriented policies. Today she is apparently even more opposed to concern for economic growth and increased GDP. This is truly flabbergasting. The Cold War is over. Ideology is in retreat. Globalization has transformed economic and trade relations, The key to national governance is now economic governance. Economic growth and increased GDP are the key indicators of sound economic governance. Tsai Ing-wen snickered, "President Ma's head is filled only with thoughts of economic growth." Perhaps the people should ask Tsai the same question. "What is your head filled with?" If economic growth is unimportant, what is?

Chen Shui-bian once said that "Even if I revitalize the economy, that does not mean I will get reelected." But will ruining the economy get one reelected? Besides, if one is incapable of revitalizing the economy, what is one capable of doing? And if one is incapable of implemeting the necessary supporting policies, how can one do a good job of revitalizing the economy? The DPP ruled for eight years. It failed to implement the necessary supporting policies. As a result, the economy went from bad to worse.

"Economic growth" is not an isolated concept. As far as Taiwan is concerned, cross-Strait relations and the domestic investment environment must be improved before one can improve the economy. Therefore if a national leader's "head is filled only with thoughts of economic growth and increased GDP," he must as a matter of course successfully implement the necessary supporting policies. If the president's head is indeed "filled only with thoughts of economic development and increased GDP," so what? What is wrong with that?

國家領袖應當滿腦子都是經濟成長
【聯合報╱社論】
2010.11.26 02:56 am

整個五都選舉，非但兩岸議題消逝無蹤，連經濟也幾乎是一個消失的議題；所幸在最後一刻，民進黨提醒大家他們還沒忘掉這件事。蔡英文在造勢大會上說，許多人還處在困境，國民黨卻在舉辦嘉年華遊行，她直批「馬總統的腦袋，只有經濟成長和國民所得」。

馬總統回應蔡英文：沒有經濟發展，如何改善分配，如何解決人民困境？政黨遊行造勢要不要辦成歡樂嘉年華，見仁見智；但把國家元首對經濟的重視，說成好像是一種錯誤或罪惡，卻是難以理解的事。馬總統腦袋裡是不是「只有經濟成長和國民所得」容可另論，但經濟治理就是國家治理問題的根本；一個總統若時時以經濟為念，恐怕不能說有什麼不對。

陳水扁執政八年，把台灣經濟弄得元氣盡喪，至今產業萎縮、青壯失業的創傷猶未痊癒，這是民進黨無法推諉的責任。馬政府上台後，設法解除政經枷鎖，又逐漸把台灣經濟拔出金融危機的泥淖。今年台灣的經濟成長率將接近百分之十，創廿年來新高；平均國民所得可望達一萬九千美元，突破過去十年停滯不前的撞牆障礙，失業率降到百分之五以下。因而，雖然台灣如今確實仍有「許多人還處在困境」，但也不能一筆勾消馬政府在經濟治理上的努力與成績。

民進黨執政時宣示過多少回要「拚經濟」。陳水扁從兩千年上任成立經發會聲稱要「拚經濟」算起，前前後後藉「女兒辦完喜事了」、「拚完外交了」、「現在做外公了」、「致中結婚了」等場合，至少有二十八次鄭重宣稱「任內最重要的任務，就是拚經濟」。這表示，陳水扁也知道發展經濟是國家治理的重要課題；然而，耽於貪腐及師心自用的結果，他主政八年的經濟治理每下愈況，只見他在私人金庫中鈔票愈堆愈高。

對於陳水扁的嘴巴拚經濟，蔡英文沒有片語隻字的反省；對於馬英九攤開的經濟成績，她卻說是罔顧窮人感受。蔡英文的天平，或許有人該伸手幫她扶正一下。別忘了，民進黨執政期間曾創下台灣史上最高的自殺率，包括中產階級的大幅衰退，這還沒算上壯年失業潮。正因如此，蔡英文對馬英九的指控，更顯得不可思議。

在這裡，有兩個層次的問題。第一，從事實層次看，馬政府在上任時因迎面就碰上金融海嘯，其經濟治理雖未能「馬上好」，但如今已見「漸漸好」；相較而言，民進黨主打的「治理牌」，若是指執政八年經濟治理的表現而言，顯然不如馬政府。第二，從社會層次看，民進黨雖作出關注弱勢的姿態，但在不能實際促進經濟成長與提高國民所得下，這種關懷終究流於矯情與空言，因為沒有任何制度能支撐民進黨那種「不要發展、只要補貼」的邏輯。例如民進黨縣長取消桃園老人慰問金，這次卻栽贓給朱立倫，豈不是自打耳光。

蔡英文因反ＥＣＦＡ，曾發表反對經濟掛帥及出口導向的經濟政策之說法，如今似更認為不應強調經濟發展與國民所得，令人難以理解。在冷戰結束、意識形態退潮，及全球化改變世界經貿競合關係之際，國家治理的核心課題就是經濟治理，而經濟發展及國民所得則是經濟治理的中心指標。蔡英文質問「馬總統滿腦子只有經濟成長」之際，民眾也可反問：「那妳的腦子裡只有什麼？」經濟成長如果不重要，什麼才是重要的？

陳水扁曾說「把經濟搞好也未必選得上」，但難道把經濟搞壞了反而應當選上？何況，倘若經濟搞不好，又能把什麼搞好？而若不能將其他一切配套政策搞好，經濟又怎能搞得好？民進黨八年執政，未將其他配套政策搞好，所以經濟才每下愈況。

「經濟成長」不是一個孤立的概念，以台灣的情勢而言，例如必須將兩岸關係及國內投資環境都弄好，才有可能把經濟搞好。因而，國家領導人若是「腦子裡只有經濟成長及國民所得」，他自然也會把必須與經濟配套的其他政務也統統做好才行。然則，總統的腦袋裡「只有經濟發展及國民所得」，有何不對？又有何不好？