New Cabinet: Courage and Communications Will See You Through

New Cabinet: Courage and Communications Will See You Through
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
February 13, 2012

Summary: The Ma administration's second term.has begun. The new administrative team has assumed office. it inclues veterans and novices. This is the cabinet's second term. Therefore no one is going to accept the excuse that the cabinet is new and therefore lacks experience. The cabinet does not need "star players." Nor does it need designated fall guys to take the heat for their colleagues. Self confidence and a responsible attitude are the only qualities essential for the cabinet. As long as cabinet members understand their areas of responsibility, as long as they have confidence, as long as they assume responsibility, communications will be no problem.

Full Text below:

Just before the Legislative Yuan officially convened, the newly formed cabinet underwent a marathon, nine hour, weekend long "intensive training" session. They focused on a single idea: communications. This included communication with the public, communication with the legislature, communication with the media, and even internal communications witin the Executive Yuan itself. President Ma Ying-jeou may want cabinet members to take the lead in reaching out to the grassroots. Talking heads may demand that Ma keep up with current events and keep his his finger on the public pulse. But these are all technical details. A head of state must have confidence in the ability of government heads to handle those matters under their purvue. The key is a willingness to assume responsibility.

The Ma administration was hurt by criticisms directed against the cabinet during Typhoon Morakot. Since then, it has significantly increased the number of ministries and departments charged with visual communications and public relations. So much that its efforts eventually attracted the attention of the Control Yuan, which investigated and scaled back some of its excesses. Some ministry heads have established private channels of communication with talking heads, under the table. Theoretically this should enable them to convince the talking heads to say a few kind words about them before the TV cameras. At the very least this should convince the talking heads to criticize them less harshly. The results however, have been mixed. Attempts to secure support for administration policies have had limited success.

Just how should government heads communicate with the public? Current CEPD chairman Yin Chi-ming provides an excellent object lesson. The Ma administration made him Minister of Economic Affairs during its first term. The cabinet was reshuffled following Typhoon Morakot. Yin was made Minister without Portfolio. No one however, has ever explained why. One reason offered was that Yin was "ineffective in promoting a cross-Strait agreement on ECFA." But why weren't other cabinet members replaced? No one has ever explained why. Once Yin was made Minister without Portfolio, he no longer had to deal with the media. Nor did the media have time to seek him out. Six months before the presidential election. Yin Chi-ming buried his nose in his keyboard, blogging every day. He refuted DPP attacks on the Ma administration's cross-Strait policies. His firepower was so intense, the media could no longer ignore his existence. They had no choice but to visit his blog and leave their own comments.

Yin took substantive action, He showed that he was a political appointee fully capable of championing the administration's policies. But why was he so outspoken during the first two years of Ma's first term, only to later fall silent. Eventually some reporters criticized the administration for its "Silence of the Words." Actually Yin Chi-min reflected the twofold plight endured by many Ma administration political appointees. One. Many reporters in the front ranks lack professional experience. They simply could not understand his policy. Two. Many reporters pandered to popular sentiment. Policy debates garner low ratings. Naturally no one wants to calmy report them, let alone analyze them.

Some political appointees have the courage to assume responsibility. Take former Department of Health Director Yaung Chi-liang. He stood in the line of fire defending administration policy. But in the end he was still forced to resign. Sadly, no one remembers how staunchly he defended "second generation health care." All they remember is that he had the guts to stand up to the Taiwan independence "san min zhi" media, i.e., SET TV, Formosa TV, and the Liberty Times, Take Yin Chi-ming, who quietly blogged away. He blogged so much the media was forced to come back and seek him out. He penned thousands of words defending administration policy. Even if reporters didn't understand his meaning. at least they couldn't say they copied what he wrote down wrong. Finally, take the numerous former government heads who panic before the media. They hide from the media while in office. They run from the media when stepping down. Their guilty demeanor is utterly inappropriate for high-ranking officials. No wonder they have become the butt of media jokes.

In fact, political appointees and the media can communicate and interact in a more constructive fashion. Reporters are not academics or experts. They will inevitably ask stupid questions that leave the political appointee wondering whether to laugh or cry. But when asked senseless questions, political appointees must stand their ground and say "Thank you." They need not cover their faces and flee. They need not be so deficient in courage. When government heads avoid the media, it invariably means they will be both unpopular and unsuited for their jobs.

Recently Taiwan "celebrity" Makiyo and some friends got drunk and precipitated an incident. Recently Harvard graduate pro ball player Jeremy Lin became a star in the NBA. Political appointees must know what the public is talking about. But knowing what the public is talking about, does not t mean becoming the object of media attention. Last week a KMT Central Standing Committee Member wanted Party Chairman Ma Ying-jeou to express his views on Makiyo. President Ma surprised everyone. He said that when he he heard the term "Ma bang" he thought it meant the Ma family. Ma's humor was unfunny and pointless. Must the President respond even to celebrities who get drunk and make trouble? If so, then why not make the President clean every gutter in front of every house in the country?

Jeremy Lin is famous throughout the United States. The entire country is gripped by "Linsanity." But a president is responsible for a nation's affairs of state. To cast oneself as just another Jeremy Lin fan is trying too hard to share Jeremy Lin's spotlight. Jeremy Lin won several games in a row. The U.S. beef imports issue still awaits resolution. The 12 year compulsory education programe still needs promotion, Tax reform still needs to be added to the policy agenda. Foreseeable policy storms will not go away as a result of such distractions, One cannot fail to make preparations.

The Ma administration's second term.has begun. The new administrative team has assumed office. it inclues veterans and novices. This is the cabinet's second term. Therefore no one is going to accept the excuse that the cabinet is new and therefore lacks experience. The cabinet does not need "star players." Nor does it need designated fall guys to take the heat for their colleagues. Self confidence and a responsible attitude are the only qualities essential for the cabinet. As long as cabinet members understand their areas of responsibility, as long as they have confidence, as long as they assume responsibility, communications will be no problem.

新內閣勇於擔當 溝通就不是問題
2012-02-13中國時報

在立法院新會期正式開議前，甫改組成軍的新內閣周末以馬拉松的九個小時，為閣員進行「密集特訓」，重點只有兩個字：溝通。不論是對民眾、對國會、對媒體、乃至行政院各部會的內部溝通。但不論是馬英九總統樂見閣員訂定自己的下鄉計畫，或名嘴提醒首長隨時盯緊時事，掌握民意脈動，均屬「技術問題」，首長們對所轄部會的政策是否有信心、有擔當才是最重要的。

馬政府自第一任莫拉克風災重創內閣團隊後，就視溝通與宣傳為要務，見諸於媒體者即各部會置入性報導大量增加，終至引起監察院的關切，乃至調查和糾正；檯面下，則各部會首長不乏私下與眾名嘴建立溝通管道，好一點可說服名嘴們在電視機前為己美言，再差至少爭取名嘴少罵自己幾句，結果是好壞參半，對政策順利獲得民意支持的效果有限。

政府首長到底該如何落實溝通？現任經建會主委尹啟銘可做為一個典型教案，馬政府第一任時他是經濟部長，莫拉克風災後內閣改組，他調任政務委員，其間原因究竟為何沒人說得出所以然，勉強要論就是「為兩岸簽署ＥＣＦＡ不力」， 那為什麼其他閣員不更換呢？還是沒人說出一個道理。卸任部長後的尹啟銘轉任政務委員後，既不必面對媒體，也沒有媒體有這個閑情找他，尹啟銘在總統大選前後至少半年以上，每天悶著頭寫部落格，反批民進黨對馬政府兩岸政策的攻擊，火力強大到讓媒體不能忽視他的存在，回過頭抓他在部落格上的意見。

尹啟銘以實際行動證明自己是有絕佳辯護能力的政務官，問題是為什麼第一任前兩年敢言，之後反而噤聲，直到大選前才用「沉默的文字」進行政策攻擊？尹啟銘的狀況其實是許多馬政府政務官的困境，第一，不少媒體第一線記者缺乏足夠的專業，根本聽不懂他的政策；第二，媒體跟著民意感覺走，政策既無收視率，自然沒人肯冷靜報導，遑談分析。

於是勇於任事的政務官，上焉者如前衛生署長楊志良站在火線上為政策辯護，結果還是非離開官職不可，而且，沒人記得他用力推動的「二代健保」具體內容究竟為何，只記得他敢和「三民自」對抗；中焉者如尹啟銘，安靜的寫部落格，寫到讓媒體回過頭找他，而且，寫好千字政策辯護，就算記者聽不懂，至少不會抄錯；下焉者還有不少卸任部會首長見媒體如見鬼，上台時躲記者，下台時照樣跑給記者追，心虛的姿態全然不似一品大員，莫怪被媒體當成調笑的箭靶。

政務官與媒體其實可以有更健康的溝通和互動，媒體不是學者專家，難免出口問出許多讓人哭笑不得的問題，但是，身為政務官即使碰到無厘頭的問題，站定說聲「謝謝」即可，何須抱頭鼠竄，缺乏勇氣至此？當首長躲避媒體的那一刻，就註定自己必然是個不會受歡迎、也不適任的官員。

名嘴並以最近當紅的Makiyo與友人醉後鬧事事件與哈佛小子林書豪揚名ＮＢＡ為例，提點政務官要時時刻刻知道民眾關心的話題。然而，知道和了解發燒話題不表示要成為「媒體反應爐」，以上周國民黨中常會為例，有中常委要黨主席馬英九對Makiyo表達看法，馬總統則意外說出一段他聽到媒體「馬幫」的說法，以為馬家又出了什麼事，這則冷笑話簡直是無聊透頂，如果連藝人喝酒鬧事總統都要管，那不如叫總統管每個人家門口的水溝算了。

同樣的，林書豪揚名全美，舉國皆瘋狂，但是，身為主掌國家大政的執政團隊，把自己當成「一般球迷」即可，不必過度消費林書豪的光芒，畢竟不論林書豪連贏幾場球，美牛進口問題還是得解決，十二年國教還是得推動，稅制改革依舊擺在政策時程表上，可預見的政策風波不會因此而稍減，同樣不能不預為因應。

馬政府第二任，執政團隊就定位，有老手有新人，因為是連任內閣，沒有人會接受新閣員缺乏經驗的托詞，內閣不需要「明星球員」或者專為同僚擋砲火的稻草人，信心和擔當是內閣必須建立的整體特質，只要全體閣員對自己職權範圍內的業務與政策深入了解、充滿信心、勇於擔當，溝通就不會是問題。