Extricate the Nation from its Political Quagmire: Introduce an Economic Stimulus Plan

Extricate the Nation from its Political Quagmire:
Introduce an Economic Stimulus Plan
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
June 27, 2012

Summary: Taiwan cannot afford to wait. The government must clarify its priorities. It must understand the people's expectations. It must seize the opportunity to grow the economy. Only this will enable Taiwan to begin anew. Taiwan truly cannot afford to stand still.

Full Text below:

Former Vice President Vincent Siew has been in government for decades. He is an economic and trade policy veteran, and also skilled at national policy. He is a statesman who understands international relations. He is deeply concerned that internal friction has left Taiwan in a state of crisis. Everything he said during the recent summit inspired reflection. Siew's remarks were dead on. Opportunities for national growth are fleeting. The Ma administration must extricate itself from its political quagmire. It must seize the initiative, and set the agenda. It must demonstrate vision, foresight, and determination. It must offer an inspiring economic stimulus plan.

Former Vice President Siew said that Taiwan faces three major hurdles. The first hurdle is the sustained and powerful economic waves currently buffeting Taiwan. Changes in the Mainland's economy have impacted Taiwan's future. South Korean competition leaves Taiwan with little breathing room. The second hurdle is unnecessary internal friction. Internal friction has made government agencies oblivious to the looming crisis. It has made them delay decision-making. Unfairness and injustice have undermined government business trust. The ruling and opposition parties continue to spin their wheel, trapped in a vicious circle. The third hurdle is an upcoming test of Taiwan's economic resilience. This test will determine whether Taiwan rises or falls. If Taiwan fails this test, its future will be dim. Taiwan's only choice is to transform a crisis into an opportunity. We must realize the folly of internal bickering and desist. We must find a new strategy to ensure Taiwan's continued survival.

Many people feel this way. Speaker of the Legislature Wang Jin-pyng echoed these sentiments. He said the ruling and opposition parties must realize the impact internal bickering has on the nation's prosperity. He said Taiwan must attempt to catch up with the Mainland and with South Korea. To do this it must eliminate unnecessary internal friction.

Taiwan has been spinning its wheels. The ruling and opposition parties persist in vicious partisan infighting. Policy cannot move forward. Condemnation has been universal. We all know international competition is fierce. If one is not moving forward, then one is falling behind. The Mainland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and other economies are racing full speed ahead. Mainland China is a major player. Even the United States seeks its cooperation. Even the EU seeks its financial aid. South Korea's rise has lent it charisma and given it influence. Korean culture, including "K-Pop," have won fans the world over. Samsung has thrashed Apple. The global ranking of Hong Kong universities has risen steadily. They have snatched many outstanding students away from Taiwan.

Taiwan meanwhile, has tripped over two large stumbling blocks. The country is stuck. Policy makers have their priorities wrong. The European debt crisis has struck. Weakness in the U.S. and European markets has hurt Taiwan's exports. Policy makers failed to focus on revitalizing the economy. They failed to create wealth for the people. They failed to help them cope with the recession. Instead, they focused on the capital gains tax, on gasoline and electricity rates, and on the perpetually muddled issue of U.S. beef imports. It did all this in the name of fairness and justice. Salary increases have not kept up with consumer prices. Therefore the public is hopping mad. Policies ostensibly motivated by fairness and justice have not fattened anyone's wallet. They have merely bled people dry and incited public discontent.

Policy makers tripped over a second stumbling block. The opposition DPP and TSU engaged in wholesale obstructionism. They forcibly occupied the Legislative Yuan, bringing it to a standstill. They prevented any bills whatsoever from being passed. The government was virtually shut down. The ruling and opposition parties found themselves trapped in a life or death struggle. The country felt itself drowning. President Ma's approval ratings plummeted. His reputation was tarnished. His every word and every deed provoked public criticism. Even KMT legislators refused to rally when he called.

The economy is in a downturn. Exports are shrinking. We face a "perfect storm." We must strengthen the economy. We must ensure public prosperity. We can talk about fairness and justice later. By then tax revenues will have increased. Everyone's wallet will be fatter. If we call for tax increases now, when people are in dire economic straits, it will surely provoke a public backlash.

The Ma administration has its ideals. But it must prioritize. It must not squander its resources on issues not of the highest priority. That would be unprofitable. The government's policy proposals are stuck. They are going nowhere. If the government performs a cost benefit analysis, it will discover that the benefits are not worth the cost. To allow the standoff to drag on is extremely unwise.

The clock is ticking. Time waits for no man. It will not wait for Taiwan. If we waste time today, we will regret it tomorrow. The public worries the most about Taiwan losing its industrial advantage and its economic vitality. Taiwan lags behind its competitors. Taiwan has been increasingly marginalized by them. What the public looks for the most is the Ma administration's vision for the future. It wants a comprehensive economic stimulus plan. It wants a solid foundation for Taiwan's long-term economic development. It does not want piecemeal policies that try to please everyone but end up pleasing no one.

Taiwan cannot afford to wait. The government must clarify its priorities. It must understand the people's expectations. It must seize the opportunity to grow the economy. Only this will enable Taiwan to begin anew. Taiwan truly cannot afford to stand still.

別陷政治泥淖 快端出振興經濟方案
2012-06-27
中國時報

前副總統蕭萬長在政府服務數十載，不但是經貿老兵，更是嫻熟國政、具國際觀的資深政治家，他痛陳台灣陷於內耗之危殆，句句發人省思。老蕭之言切中時弊，國家成長的時機稍縱即逝，馬政府不應該再繼續糾纏在無謂的政治泥淖中，應該另闢戰場引領議題，以宏觀、前瞻與魄力，端出能令人眼睛一亮的振興經濟方案來。

蕭前副總統指出，台灣當前面臨了三大關卡，第一道是最持久的經濟強浪正襲向台灣，大陸經濟變化增加台灣未來變數，韓國的競爭也正壓縮台灣空間。第二道關卡是「最無謂的內耗卻正在台灣內部上演，致使台灣無法全力因應」。而內耗最顯著的在於政府各部門危機意識不足，延誤決策及因應；公平正義迷思重創政府與企業信賴關係；朝野惡鬥讓台灣陷於空轉的惡性循環。第三道關卡，則是當前台灣經濟面臨嚴酷考驗，也正是台灣興衰的關鍵機會，一旦錯失，就很難有令人期待的願景。因此化危機為轉機是台灣唯一的選擇，必須正確認知並停止內耗，尋找新戰略為台灣經濟開路。

其實這也是很多人的共同感受，對此立法院長王金平也呼應指出，朝野應該共同省思嚴重對立、內耗空轉的情況，避免無謂的內耗而影響到國家發展。相較於中國大陸和南韓，台灣應該努力急起直追，盡量避免不必要的內耗。

其實，近期以來台灣陷於虛耗空轉，朝野酣於惡鬥導致施政動彈不得，早已為各界所詬病。大家都知道，在激烈的國際競爭中，不進則退，但眼前卻看到中國大陸、南韓、香港、新加坡等國家集全國之力快速向前奔跑，中國在國際社會上已是連美國都必須拉攏、歐盟想爭取金援的重要大國，南韓的崛起更是銳氣風發勢不可擋，韓流「K-Pop」攻下全球粉絲，三星強踢蘋果。香港的大學全球排名一路竄升，讓台灣許多優秀學生被搶走。

反觀台灣，卻接連絆到兩塊大石頭，整個國家都被卡住了。施政先是搞錯了優先順序，在歐債風暴山雨欲來、歐美市場疲軟重創台灣出口前景之際，沒有先把施政重點放在振興經濟、為民眾創富，以對抗嚴峻的不景氣風暴，反而先把重點放在號稱追求公平正義的證所稅、油電漲價以及始終說不清楚的美牛案。由於薪資成長追不上物價高漲，民眾氣得跳腳，所謂的公平正義政策並沒有讓荷包空空的人受惠，反而讓要失血的人群起反彈。

然後，接著又絆到了第二塊大石頭。在野黨逮到機會強力杯葛，封鎖議場讓立法院陷入癱瘓，焦土戰爭讓什麼法案都審不了，政府政策幾乎停擺。朝野陷入你死我活的惡鬥，結果是國家無量沉溺。馬總統人氣直跌，聲望重挫，一言一行動輒得咎，連黨籍立委都叫不動。

在經濟不景氣、出口倒退、未來更可能面臨嚴峻風暴的時候，應該先努力把經濟拉抬起來，讓更多民眾的口袋受惠之後，再來談公平正義也不遲。因為那個時候稅收會增加，大家的荷包也比較有餘裕。如果在大部分人都覺得手頭愈來愈緊的時候喊要增加收費，當然會激發民怨。

馬政府固然有其理念與理想，問題是事有輕重緩急，為不是最優先急迫的事耗盡精力資源，是不划算的。政府先後推動的幾個政策都已經陷在政治泥淖裡進退不得，算算可能的獲益與付出的精力時間，簡直不成比例，再繼續被拖住，更是極度不智的。

時間正一分一秒流逝，機會不會等待台灣，今天的虛耗空轉，將成為未來的後悔莫及。現在民眾最擔心的，是台灣產業優勢流失、生機凋萎，在國際競爭中日趨落後且邊緣化。而大家最期待於馬政府的，是政府能夠以前瞻的視野，端出一套完整的振興經濟方案，為台灣長遠發展打造堅實的基礎，而不是搖擺飄移試圖討好每一個人的零碎政策。

台灣沒有本錢等待，弄清楚施政的輕重緩急，了解民眾最迫切的期待，掌握國家發展的最大契機，才能讓台灣重新啟動。台灣，真的不能再卡卡了。