Taiwan
President Ma Ying-jeou: Caught in a geopolitical vice between
China
and the United States, the democratically-elected leader must
accept
American military aid to deter an invasion by the mainland, while
protecting
the interests of Taiwanese doing business across the Strait.
Taipei Times, Taiwan
Taiwan's President
Could Learn from Barack Obama
"Like
President Obama, President Ma Ying-jeou began his tenure with high approval
ratings, but has since seen his popularity plummet. Yet the two leaders have responded
very differently."
Last year was a bad one for leaders
around the world, most of whom were unable to hold their heads high. Because it
is so difficult to satisfy the public during an economic downturn when there is
high unemployment, global warming and complex domestic political, economic and
social problems, this is a test of our national leaders.
Like U.S. President Barack
Obama, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)
began his tenure with high approval ratings, but has since seen his popularity plummet.
Yet the two leaders have responded very differently.
In an interview with ABC
anchor Diane Sawyer last Monday, Obama made a memorable statement that many
leaders - national or otherwise - could stand to learn from: “I'd rather be a
really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president.”
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Meanwhile, Ma has responded
to his party's defeat in local and legislative by-elections by bringing in King
Pu-tsung (金溥聰) as the Kuomintang's [Nationalist Party's] secretary-general
in order to oversee election campaigns and woo back voters.
Ma is also working to improve
communications with pan-blue legislators and is reportedly trying to restore
the funeral subsidy for military veterans in order to win back deep-blue voters
and consolidate grassroots support.
Since the first day of his
presidency, Ma's hopes for a second term have been obvious. His actions and
words have been guided by this agenda.
With the next presidential
election in mind, national policies are aimed at ingratiating the government with
the public, while true reform has been halted for fear of displeasing the
electorate. The government's rescue and reconstruction efforts in the wake of
Typhoon Morakot inspired Ma's critics in the media to quip that “a corrupt
president” had been replaced by “a stupid one.”
Taiwan and the United States
have different challenges in terms of health care. Although liberals and
conservatives alike have attacked Obama on the issue of a national health care program,
he remains as determined as ever to see through a reform that he believes is
imperative. Although Democrats lost the recent senatorial by-election in
Massachusetts - a sign of public uncertainty about the health care system and
other matters - Obama isn't looking ahead to the next election. He might even
be burning his bridges by insisting on tackling a major problem rather than
ingratiating himself with the voters and Congress.
By comparison, Department of
Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良),
who wants to raise premiums to cover funding shortages, is accused of taking
the public's hard-earned money without calling in the debt owed by the cities
of Taipei and Kaohsiung. Taipei's debt to the national health care system
stands at more than NT$34 billion ($1.06 billion), while Kaohsiung's is NT$16
billion. These debts have taken an undeniable toll on Taiwan's health insurance
system. Significantly, Ma is partly responsible for Taipei's role in this
conundrum.
Ma should look to Obama, who
acknowledges public anger, and ask himself whether he is listening to the
public - and whether he understands its point of view. Government reform will
remain at a standstill until President Ma stops making re-election his top
priority. And if the government starts delivering a quality administration, perhaps
it will reward the president by re-electing him.
