The Cabinet Must Make Prosperity Perceptible

The Cabinet Must Make Prosperity Perceptible
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
February 7, 2012

Summary: Yesterday the old cabinet stepped down and the new cabinet was sworn in. The incoming cabinet faces an entire range of domestic and foreign challenges. President Ma Ying-jeou has characterized the Sean Chen Cabinet as an "Peace of Mind Cabinet." He intends to publish an annual "happiness index" reflecting the people's true feelings. In particular, he intends to respond to public expectations concerning social justice. He intends to ensure that the people feel truly prosperous, both financially and psychologically.


Full Text below:

Yesterday the old cabinet stepped down and the new cabinet was sworn in. The incoming cabinet faces an entire range of domestic and foreign challenges. President Ma Ying-jeou has characterized the Sean Chen Cabinet as an "Peace of Mind Cabinet." He intends to publish an annual "happiness index" reflecting the people's true feelings. In particular, he intends to respond to public expectations concerning social justice. He intends to ensure that the people feel truly prosperous, both financially and psychologically.

The KMT's Ma/Wu ticket won its bid reelection in 2012, and was returned to power. But the DPP's Tsai/Su ticket received over six million votes. This shows that nearly half the voters supported the Green Camp. Ma Ying-jeou's first round cabinet appointments must take into account opposition party policy proposals, some of which resonated with the public. He has replaced quite a number of ministry personnel and political appointees. These reflect President Ma's response to outside concerns.

Inside the new cabinet, the fiscal and economic experts have been the quickest to organize. The European debt crisis affects the entire world, No nation can afford to ignore it. The new cabinet teams up Ying Chi-min, who is familiar with industrial development, with renowned fiscal affairs expert Sean Chen. It teams Chang Shan-cheng, who was lured away from industry, with Chu Ching-yi, who in recent years established a foundation for industrial technology. Clearly the fiscal and economic experts appointed complement each other. As Sean Chen said, a ball team cannot consist only of superstars such as Wang Chien-ming, It must include specialists with expertise who complement each other. The fiscal and economic experts appointed to the new cabinet illustrate this principle.

Fiscal and economic problems are a prime concern. The fiscal and economic experts in the cabinet make a strong team. But during the election the question most asked of the Ma/Wu ticket and the Tsai/Su ticket, was how they planned to deal with the issue of social justice. Before the election, a wave of entrepreneurs endorsed the 1992 Consensus, and publicly backed Ma. This consolidated support for Ma Ying-jeou. But it also raised questions about whether the Ma administration and big business were in bed with each other. It even raised questions about Sean Chen, and whether his "economic cabinet" was becoming a "conglomerate cabinet." Therefore, the proclamation that the new cabinet would be concerned about social justice, and cared about the feelings of ordinary people, was extremely important.

President Ma Ying-jeou wants the new cabinet to promote economic restructuring, tax reform, and to narrow the gap between rich and poor. Ma Ying-jeou spoke of "no longer being subject to re-election pressures." He may be bolder in his attitude, and more conscientious in his actions. He must tackle with tax reform, tax increases, and other long unresolved issues. Taxes and prices are extremely sensitive issues. If one lacks boldness and fails to plan ahead, it makes no difference who is in office. it makes no difference when one is taking action. The problems will remain insoluble. But the nation has its fiscal requirements. It must ensure social justice, It must ensure more equitable income distribution, A responsible government cannot avoid these issues. It must boldly confront them.

Christina Liu, the newly appointed Treasury Minister, has yet to take office. But tax reform and tax increases are already the talk of the town. This does not appear to be an accident. Consumer prices continue rising steadily. This represents a considerable challenge for the ruling administration, which must make ends meet, Newly appointed premier Sean Chen said "At the very least we must ensure that the middle class and the common people feel that the system is fair, and that their lives are prosperous." We must use taxation to diminish the public's sense that it has been exploited. This is something the new government needs to consider carefully. This cabinet has been characterized as a "peace of mind cabinet." Its intent is to give ordinary people and the middle-class peace of mind. Premier Chen stressed that future tax incentives should generate new employment opportunities. This would show that the new cabinet intends to improve the employment picture, that it intends to avoid "imperceptible improvements" and an "imperceptible recovery." After all, whether improvements in the economic environment are perceptible or imperceptible, depend on Increased or decreased employment opportunities. That is its most direct indicator. If we cannot provide people with jobs, we cannot talk about giving people peace of mind. We cannot talk about putting people's minds at ease.

Another important change in the Chen cabinet concerns the head of the cultural sector, This was obviously a response to outside concerns prior to the election. Lung Ying-tai is a person of standing in the community. She has vision, Huang Kuang-nan has been appointed minister without portfolio. He has seniority and connections in the art. cultural, and educational realms. These two appointees have considerable administrative experience. Personnel appointments made by these two people would reassure the cultural realm, and put peoples' minds at ease. They would reduce concern in the cultural realm. They would make way for a transition, and upgrade culture-related government agencies. They would make it possible to get more done, and allow soft power to enhance competition in the cultural realm.

The Chen Cabinet has emphasized its desire to provide people with prosperity. So-called "wealth" is not limited to tangible wealth. It includes psychological and cultural wealth. A wealthy and contented society must be rooted in social justice, humble leaders, and happy people. The cabinet has been reorganized, and is beginning anew. The cabinet appointments show that the ruling administration is doing its best to manifest its dreams. It hopes to realize its well-intended plans. This should do more than provide the public with peace of mind. This should make prosperity perceptible.

安心內閣 須讓人民有感富足
2012-02-07中國時報

新舊內閣昨日交接，面對紛擾複雜的各種國內外挑戰，馬英九總統將陳?領軍的內閣團隊定位為「安心內閣」，並將於每年提出「幸福指數」，著重人民真實的感受，特別是要回應人民對社會公平正義的期望，讓民眾無論在財富及心理層面上，都能真的有富足感。

國民黨的馬吳配贏得二○一二選戰，取得政權，但民進黨的英嘉配也拿到超過六百萬的選票，顯示綠營的主張也得到近半選民的支持，馬英九在布局第一階段內閣人事的時候，當然必須參考在野黨引起較多共鳴的一些理念與政策主張，新內閣中更換幅度較大的部會、政務委員，也可以看見馬總統對外界關注的領域與議題的回應。

新內閣中，財經團隊最快建構完整，因為歐債問題已影響全球經濟，沒有哪個國家可以輕忽；新內閣以熟稔產業發展的尹啟銘搭配以金融見長的陳?，佐以自企業界挖角的張善政和近年來致力建構產業科技基礎環境的朱敬一，可看出財經人事的專業分工與專長互補，正如陳?所說，一個球隊，不能全是王建民，而應該是各有擅長的領域，並且能夠互相搭配。從新內閣的財經小團隊即確實可以看得出這樣的布局。

財經問題是當前的重大課題，新內閣組成的財經團隊也不可謂不算是「卡司堅強」，然而，在這次選舉中，馬吳與英嘉最常被提出來比較的是兩個團隊如何面對與處理社會公義這個問題。特別是選前一波企業家以支持九二共識的方式，公開挺馬，固然對馬英九的選情有正面效益，但也引發外界對馬政府是否是與資本家站在一起的若干疑慮，甚至憂心以陳?為首的「財經內閣」變相成為「財團內閣」，因此，新內閣關注社會公平正義，強調重視庶民感受，是非常重要的宣示。

馬英九總統期勉新內閣要努力推動經濟轉型、進行稅制改革、縮小貧富差距，似乎預告了「已無連任壓力」的馬英九，會以比較勇敢與認真的態度和行動，面對並處理稅改、加稅等多年懸而未決的問題。賦稅與物價極為敏感，可以說，如果沒有「練好膽子」、「做好配套規畫」，不論是誰執政、也不論是在什麼時候，這些問題都不好處理；然而，面對國家財政需要，以及落實社會正義、推動所得分配的合理化，負責任的政府卻也沒有理由永遠逃避，總該好好面對了。

新任財政部長劉憶如還沒上任，有關稅改、加稅問題即已引發滿城風雨，看來並非偶然。在民生物價蠢蠢欲動之際，執政者的智慧面臨相當大考驗，截長補短，讓新閣揆陳?所說：「至少要讓中產階級與庶民感受到公平與富足」，透過租稅手段挪去或者至少減低社會的「相對剝削感」，應是新政府需審慎思考的作為。所謂的安心內閣，不也就是要安庶民的心、安中產階級的心嗎！陳揆強調，未來若要推出什麼租稅優惠時，應思考是不是能相對創造出新的就業機會，這一方向的改變，也顯示新內閣施政將以提高就業為考量，以避免再出現所謂的「無感成長」、「無感復甦」，畢竟，所謂對經濟環境的有感或者是無感，「就業機會」的增減，是最直接的指標。若是不能給人民工作，就談不上讓人民安心，談不上讓人民放心了。

陳內閣另一個重要的變動是有關文化部門的主管，這很顯然也回應選前外界的高度關切，龍應台的格局、視野，加上擔任政務委員的黃光男在藝術、文化和教育界的輩分和人脈，以及兩人的行政經驗，使得這項人事安排，應可讓文化界「安心」並「放心」，至少可以降低文化界的紛擾情緒，給準備轉型、升格的文化部門，多一做事的空間，所謂的提昇文化競爭軟實力，也才有可能。

陳內閣強調「要帶給人民富足的生活」，而所謂的「富有」，不只是表現於有形的財富，也是心理上與文化上的「富有」，這樣的「富而滿足」是以社會的公義、執政者的謙卑與人民的幸福感為基礎的。內閣的改組再出發，從人事安排可見執政者的理念確實朝著這些方向努力，期望未來施政能更為落實種種立意良好的規畫，讓人民不只是「安心」和「放心」，更是「有感富足」。