Old Problems Unsolved, New Problems Created

Old Problems Unsolved, New Problems Created 
China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC) 
A Translation 
August 31, 2016

Executive Summary: Nobody likes bad-mouthing the government. When a government is unable to solve problems, ordinary people suffer. Tsai Ing-wen wants people not to judge her by her first 100 days in office. We agree. But after 100 days in office, most people are disappointed. That is a fact. Tsai Ing-wen still has time. Create fewer problems. Solve the problems it has now.

Full Text Below:

The new government has been in office 100 days. But many agencies and media surveys already show the new government's approval ratings headed straight for the basement. Some show disapproval ratings higher than approval ratings. The media has used the term "on death's door". Contrast this with the nearly 70% approval rating it enjoyed when it first took office early this year, after its landslide victory. Tsai Ing-wen's approval rating after 100 days, shows that her administration's honeymoon period is long over. Did the public expect too much? Or did the administration deliver too little?

Recently Tsai Ing-wen told reporters "I hope others will not judge me by my first 100 days in office. By the same token, I am not judging my cabinet by its first 100 days in office”. She claimed that every day since May 20, she has been “solving problems". She said many problems are a legacy from the past. The people have chosen a new government because they hope it will confront and solve problems. "People hope the new government will not pass the buck onto past administrations”. Therefore every day she reminded the ruling DPP administration, "People want to see a different government."

Most people echo President Tsai's concessions. Taiwan has indeed inherited many complex problems. When people choose a new government, they invariably expect the new administration to confront and solve those problems. Tsai Ing-wen promised the voters. She admonished her leadership team. Everyone appears to take the matter seriously. Who doesn't want to see a government solve problems? But has the new government actually solved any problems during its first 100 days? What do the people think? Has the government failed to solve old problems, and instead created new problems?

True. Judging a new president and a new government by its first 100 days in office is unfair, and unnecessary. But 100 days after all, Is more than three months. The administration should have determined its direction long ago. Three months is enough time to understand the new President and the new Premier's political character, decision-making style, policy priorities, domestic policy, foreign policy, cross-Strait policy, and economic policy. Three months is enough time to  judge their capacity to govern. More than enough time in fact. The US has a presidential system. American journalists and academics consider the first 100 days a reliable indicator of whether an administration is destined to live or die.

Permit us to be blunt. The poll results are not an exaggeration. Much of the data is embarrassing for the new government. It was made public by agencies close to the green camp. It accurately reflects the public mood. After 100 days of rule, the economy is no better, society is no more harmonious, cross-Strait relations are no more stable, and diplomatic space has not increased. All these problems are getting worse. Leave these problems aside for the moment. The fact remains that over the past three months the new government has created more problems than it has solved.

Call it coincidence. But on the eve of the new government's first 100 days, Genesis International Travel, a company specializing in Mainland tourism, declared bankruptcy. It was the first travel industry company specializing in Mainland tourism to declare bankruptcy since the new government came to power. One can dismiss it as an isolated case. But it could be a canary in the coal mine. The travel industry has been complaining for some time. Since the new government came to power, many hotels have been “watching over empty rooms”, or enjoying "five day off a week". The only business they are doing is on weekends. The only advice the new government has offered the travel industry has been to “survive the hardship together”. The industry has gotten the message loud and clear. The government doesn't care whether it lives or dies. The problem is staring the new government in the face, but it acts as if it does not exist.

What is the new government's answer? Why it's the "New Southern Strategy”, of course! The Mainland has been signing Free Trade Agreements. It has laid out its plan for One Belt, One Road (OBOR) all the way to Southeast Asia. Meanwhile Taiwan refuses to sign the STA and MTA. Tariffs alone prevent any industry from leaving Taiwan. The new government sings the virtues of its "New Southern Strategy”. But for many industries, it remains a mirage. SPIL CEO Lin Wen-po asked the new government, "How can the semiconductor industry go south?" The government has not even considered the supply chain cluster phenomenon. The major semiconductor plants have not moved to Southeast Asia. What good will Taiwan moving south by itself do? How does this solve any problems?

So what has the new government been doing during its first 100 days? In the name of justice, it has withdrawn all charges against the students who illegally occupied the Executive Yuan. It has canceled needed corrections to school history texts. It has abolished the "Red Cross Law" in order to incite class struggle and push pension reform. It has used the "Improper Party Assets Ordinance" to conduct a political purge. It has bought off protesting National Highway System toll collectors with tax monies taken from nearly everyone. It has turned a blind eye to inevitable electricity rate hikes. It has imposed its nuclear free homeland policy in a dictatorial manner.  It has dropped a bundle on the emergency construction of natural gas power generation plants. It has undermined the dignity of the nation with its mishandling of the Taiping Island issue. It has dealth with the China Airlines flight attendants strike in a manner that encourages all trade unions to follow suit. It has handled the legal holidays issue in a manner that precludes dialogue with labor. One could go on. But the point is, does any of this look like “solving problems”?

Nobody likes bad-mouthing the government. When a government is unable to solve problems, ordinary people suffer. Tsai Ing-wen wants people not to judge her by her first 100 days in office. We agree. But after 100 days in office, most people are disappointed. That is a fact. Tsai Ing-wen still has time. Create fewer problems. Solve the problems it has now.

舊問題未解決 又製造更多新問題
2016年08月31日 中國時報

新政府執政百天，數個機構與媒體陸續發布民調數據，所有調查都顯示新政府的滿意度直線下跌，部分調查的不滿意度已超過滿意度，媒體都用了「死亡交叉」來形容。相較於年初壓倒式的勝選，就任時近7成的滿意度，蔡英文執政百天的民意評價，顯示她連最起碼的蜜月期都未嘗經歷！這究竟是民眾望治太急切，還是執政團隊出了問題？

蔡英文日前與記者茶敘時表示，「我不希望別人用100天來評斷我個人執政的成敗；同樣地，我也不會只用100天的時間來評論內閣閣員的表現」。她自陳從520到現在，每天都在「解決問題」。她表示，很多問題是長期累積的，人民選擇新政府，是希望能夠勇敢地面對問題、解決問題，「人民也不會希望，新政府將責任全部推給過去」。所以，她每天也用一樣的話告訴民進黨所有執政團隊，「人民希望看到不一樣的政府」。

蔡總統這段告白，很大部分我們是同意的。當下的台灣，確實累積了不少複雜難解的問題，人民選擇新政府，本來就是期盼新的執政團隊能夠勇敢面對問題、解決問題。蔡英文給選民的許諾，以及她對她所領導團隊的叮囑，相信所有人都是認真看待的，誰會不期待看到一個能「解決問題」的政府？但重點就在這裡，剛滿百日的新政府，究竟解決了哪些問題，讓人民有感？或是舊問題還沒有解決，卻製造了更多新問題？

是的，用百日評斷新總統、新政府成敗，確實不公平，也沒有必要。但100天畢竟已3個多月，執政團隊早已就定位，經過3個多月時間後，要理解、判斷新總統與新閣揆的政治性格、決策風格、施政優先順序及新團隊的內政、外交、兩岸、經濟等方方面面的觀念與作風，乃至評斷其治理能力，3個月時間其實很夠了。實施總統制的美國媒體與學術界，就經常以「百日定生死」評斷新總統的政治生命！

容我們直白地說，民調的結果並不誇張，有不少讓新政府特別難堪的數據，還是與綠營關係密切的機構所發布，它誠實反映了民眾當下真實的感覺，亦就是經歷了百日執政，經濟其實並沒有更好，社會並沒有更和諧，兩岸並沒有更穩定，外交空間也並沒有更大，麻煩的是，種種跡象也都顯示，上述這些層面都正在邁向更壞，就算這些大的層面姑且按下不表，過去這3個多月，這個政府製造問題的能耐，遠遠超過它解決問題的能力！

算是湊巧吧，就在新府執政滿百日前夕，一家專營陸客團生意的創世紀國際旅行社驚傳倒閉，這是新政府上台後首家倒閉的接陸客團旅行社，你可以說它只是樁個案，但它卻也可能就是個領先指標與徵候，因為旅行業者早早就在哀鳴了，新政府上台以來，很多旅館幾乎是「守空房」、「周休五日」只做得到周末生意，新政府唯一的召喚，就是叫業者共體時艱，給業者的感受等於是「叫業者去死」。這個問題在新政府上台前，可是不存在的！

而新政府給的答案是什麼？是「新南向政策」！選在大陸透過自由貿易協定，外加一帶一路布局東南亞已經成熟的此刻，台灣沒簽服貿、貨貿，所有產業光在關稅這一關就出不了台灣，新政府高唱的「新南向」，對許多產業而言可望不可及，矽品董事長林文伯就選在百日前夕質問新政府：「半導體南向做什麼？」如果政府根本沒考慮供應鏈群聚效應的問題，各大半導體廠都沒往東南亞聚集，單單台灣南向又有何用？這是在解決問題嗎？

打著正義的旗號，新政府在這100天當中，撤告了違法占領行政院的學生，廢止了微調課綱， 廢止了《紅十字會法》，以近乎煽起階級鬥爭的方式推動年金改革；以近乎清算的手段推動《不當黨產條例》；以近乎全民買單的方式滿足國道收費員的抗爭；無視電價勢必大幅調漲，以近乎粗暴的手段實質廢核，並擴編預算緊急興建天然氣發電廠，其他如處理太平島問題讓國格喪盡，處理華航空服員罷工的模式讓所有工會群起效尤，處理「一例一休」問題讓勞資根本不再對話，例子還可再舉下去，這一切的一切，都像是在解決問題嗎？

沒有人喜歡唱衰政府，因為碰到不能解決問題的政府，受害最大的還是尋常民眾。蔡英文不希望別人用100天來評斷她個人執政的成敗，我們同意，但百日執政讓高比例民眾感到失望，卻也是抹不去的事實。蔡英文還有足夠的時間，少製造問題，趕快務實解決問題吧！