When will the changes actually occur?

[yyy]

People keep saying the new government will take action against members of the old government and so on. How much time does it take for administrative posts to be vacated and then re-filled? How much time will the new government take to do the same in other areas (Judicial Yuan, Control Yuan)? Is there a perception that they care enough e.g. to send people whose posts should continue for several more years into early retirement? (Would that require formal impeachment/arrest?) Or will they probably just find replacements they like when the designated dates arrive?

Thanks for everyone’s input in advance.

[Icon]

Transition teams start their work in April, new management moves in May. However, please note that this is mostly cosmetic, as it pertains upper regions, but since career government officials cannot be removed, hence, we will still have the same corrupt cops, dinosaur judges, dirty officials, etc. unless they did not hide their deeds in the 4 preceding months.

[Gain]

Maybe in 20 years?

[hsinhai78]

What changes anyways? I see the DPP and other smaller parties campaign on a “change platform”.I have asked DPP-supporting friends and colleagues to explain to me what “change” means to them. Their answer has consistently been “改變就是改變台灣”. It all reeks of Obama’s “Change we can believe in”: lots of symbol politics without tangible benefits for the people. It seems to me that many Taiwanese are not content with their life, lifestyle, life choices and quality of life. Yes politics is to blame to a certain degree, but the vast majority of problems are home-bred and Tsai Ing-wen will definitely not get you a raise at work. Taiwanese are too sheepish in general to bring about real change from within society and put all their hopes into the DPP and other parties when the change should come from within rather than another incarnation of Confucian top-down policies that do not have much effect since the DPP elite is in bed with big business and out of touch with the worries of average Joe (or average A-Huang) just as much as the elites of the KMT.

Hence, despite symbol politics nothing will happen. Besides, the important issues in cross strait relations are decided in Beijing and not so much Taipei. While young Taiwanese are brave enough to take on some guards in front of the legislative yuan and a government that exhibited a lot of restraint (imagine a week long occupation of the US Congress - SWAT teams would have cleared the building within hours!), they will not take on China. Hence “taiwanese patriotism” will go as far as putting stickers on top of passports but will never go as far as actually changing the name of the country.

[Mucha_Man]

You can bitch like this hsinhai when you actually vote for a party that isn’t blue. Otherwise it’s just the typical deflection of criticism to maintain the status quo ( ie perpwtual kmt rule) ather than an honest assesment of what Taiwan needs.

[Dirt]

@Mucha Man

You can bitch like this Xinhai when you actually vote for a party that isn’t blue. Otherwise it’s just the typical deflection of criticism to maintain the status quo ( ie perpwtual kmt rule) ather than an honest assesment of what Taiwan needs.

You bitch and you can’t even vote.

*Full disclosure: neither can I. Don’t want to pay the taxes.

[headhonchoII]

Well I have checked Tsais policy and there’s very little details behind them at present.
I also share concerns that many DPP folks dont care too much either about the little folks (their record on labour rights ain’t great).
DPP can always go back and say they wee hamstrung for those 8 years with KMT controlled legislature, hopefully they can get control this time and THEN the proof will be in the pudding. I am not overly confident they will enact policies that will really shift gear but we shall see.

It’s also true that societies need to look beyond politicians to change. Can they change some
Of their attitudes to core beliefs that are proven to be wrong or racist or sexist?
Can they be flexible enough to adapt to a rapidly changing world eg climate change? I feel Taiwans society does change but a bit slowly. Same could be said of much of Asia. Maybe need to wait for younger generation to come thru, older generation seems hopelessly conservative and stuck in their ways, happy with their pensions and inflated property prices and subservient underpaid employees and a society that still needs their input on issues like marriage for their sons and daughters.

Icon is also right there are an awful lot of corrupt or useless officials in the system. Getting rid of them is not so easy. Places like Taipower or Taisugar or the Police for a start. Will anybody try to really reform them? They need reform
And the impact of reforms of these institutions would be large. The NAtional health system is also teetering somewhat although has a budget boost now. The education system is also going to continue to present many challenges, will the DPP (or can the DPP) really push thru changes there to bring it into the 21st century? That needs society’s support and understandinf, often only achieved when crisis hit ( a bit like how the KMT are only now scrambling to change work permit and investment rules in Taiwan due to massive decrease in exports and no foreign investment staring them in the face).

[Dirt]

nationmultimedia.com/life/Ma … 76495.html

Here’s change. A Taiwanese-Cambodian woman who was “sold” to a Taiwanese man 18 years ago by her mother from Cambodia is running for the legislature. She came from poverty, got her citizenship, her B.A. and her Masters degree and is now running for office to help improve the lives of immigrants like herself. A woman who climbed up from nothing and working with the wonderfully democratic system to make the Republic of China a better nation.

[Mucha_Man]

@Dirt

[quote=“Mucha Man”]You can bitch like this Xinhai when you actually vote for a party that isn’t blue. Otherwise it’s just the typical deflection of criticism to maintain the status quo ( ie perpwtual kmt rule) ather than an honest assesment of what Taiwan needs.

You bitch and you can’t even vote…[/quote]

Someone writes the word bitch and guess who comes knocking?

[Dirt]

@Mucha Man

[quote=“Dirt”][quote=“Mucha Man”]You can bitch like this Xinhai when you actually vote for a party that isn’t blue. Otherwise it’s just the typical deflection of criticism to maintain the status quo ( ie perpwtual kmt rule) ather than an honest assesment of what Taiwan needs.

You bitch and you can’t even vote…[/quote]

Someone writes the word bitch and guess who comes knocking?[/quote]

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

[Dog_s_Breakfast]

I predict that when the DPP opens the 4th nuclear power plant later this year, they’ll put solar panels on the roof and Tsai Ying-wen will declare it “green energy.”

[yyy]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I’m not really interested in cross strait relations or general societal change (in this thread).

Icon rightly pointed out that some changes will occur in April, but other than the personnel that would likely be replaced anyway (even if the antagonism between the two sides were not so pronounced), is there a lot of “purging” expected, or are the changes likely to be more gradual, i.e. let them wait out their terms but don’t renew them?

To put it another way, imagine your friend likes to brag, “I’m so special because my best pal/cousin/whatever is in X position at Y institution,” and it was what most people would perceive as a partisan appointment. At what point should you start saying “not for much longer they ain’t”?

[sofun]

[quote=“yyy”]Sorry, I should have been more specific. I’m not really interested in cross strait relations or general societal change (in this thread).

Icon rightly pointed out that some changes will occur in April, but other than the personnel that would likely be replaced anyway (even if the antagonism between the two sides were not so pronounced), is there a lot of “purging” expected, or are the changes likely to be more gradual, i.e. let them wait out their terms but don’t renew them?

To put it another way, imagine your friend likes to brag, “I’m so special because my best pal/cousin/whatever is in X position at Y institution,” and it was what most people would perceive as a partisan appointment. At what point should you start saying “not for much longer they ain’t”? [/quote]
[added: personnel appointment, replacement(or purge) typically signals policy changes, indicative of the direction that the government will go]

You will “feel” the changes happening, with the 1st and each subsequent policy announcements rolled out one by one.
You will “see” the actual changes with some time delay.
Like most governments, unpopular, controversial, or painful reforms will be rolled up first, making a section of the population shriek. Goodies are dished out later, to balance things out.

[Icon]

[quote=“yyy”]Sorry, I should have been more specific. I’m not really interested in cross strait relations or general societal change (in this thread).

Icon rightly pointed out that some changes will occur in April, but other than the personnel that would likely be replaced anyway (even if the antagonism between the two sides were not so pronounced), is there a lot of “purging” expected, or are the changes likely to be more gradual, i.e. let them wait out their terms but don’t renew them?

To put it another way, imagine your friend likes to brag, “I’m so special because my best pal/cousin/whatever is in X position at Y institution,” and it was what most people would perceive as a partisan appointment. At what point should you start saying “not for much longer they ain’t”? [/quote]

Moreover, in the corridors of power, they are already organizing a very strong front of “we won’t collaborate with the [strike]traitors[/strike] DPP”. Last time, anyone found just doing their job -during the Chen administration- was punished when the blues came back in power -held back for promotions, demoted to undesirable positions, kicked out of state dorms, the works. Passive, passive aggressive, and downright aggressive resistance is expected.

I do understand that you may or may not follow their policies, but if you serve as a public official, you should be able to serve the nation, perform your daily activities, without repercussions. I am not talking about helping load bags of money on planes, people, I am talking about everyday fare, just get the papers out on time.

I only pray that if the DPP gets the presidency, it gets also Legislative majority, or we will have a lame duck administration worse than the current one. If we get another toilet paper conundrum -because there is no money because the budget is stuck in the Legislature- we, as a country, will be toast.

[Mr_He]

[quote=“Icon”][quote=“yyy”]Sorry, I should have been more specific. I’m not really interested in cross strait relations or general societal change (in this thread).

Icon rightly pointed out that some changes will occur in April, but other than the personnel that would likely be replaced anyway (even if the antagonism between the two sides were not so pronounced), is there a lot of “purging” expected, or are the changes likely to be more gradual, i.e. let them wait out their terms but don’t renew them?

To put it another way, imagine your friend likes to brag, “I’m so special because my best pal/cousin/whatever is in X position at Y institution,” and it was what most people would perceive as a partisan appointment. At what point should you start saying “not for much longer they ain’t”? [/quote]

Moreover, in the corridors of power, they are already organizing a very strong front of “we won’t collaborate with the [strike]traitors[/strike] DPP”. Last time, anyone found just doing their job -during the Chen administration- was punished when the blues came back in power -held back for promotions, demoted to undesirable positions, kicked out of state dorms, the works. Passive, passive aggressive, and downright aggressive resistance is expected.

I do understand that you may or may not follow their policies, but if you serve as a public official, you should be able to serve the nation, perform your daily activities, without repercussions. I am not talking about helping load bags of money on planes, people, I am talking about everyday fare, just get the papers out on time.

I only pray that if the DPP gets the presidency, it gets also Legislative majority, or we will have a lame duck administration worse than the current one. If we get another toilet paper conundrum -because there is no money because the budget is stuck in the Legislature- we, as a country, will be toast.[/quote]

All that is fine and true, unless the KMT implodes within the next few months - with the candidates lining themselves up for the chairmanship election, I see that outcome as increasingly likely.

Moreover, an attack on the party assets will diminish the KMT’s ability to buy an election, if they so desire.

Legal reform is happening, it’s part and plank of Tsai’s agenda and something she has fleshed out in some detail.

A downright uncooperative government apparatus will be slightly less likely when the top KMT brass is carted off to jail and the party all of a sudden splits into 2 factions as has happened before.

Change will not be complete, it will not be beautiful, however it will come in a piecemeal fashion and over time - say the next 8 years - the impact will start to really stack up.

Also - note that the areas of Taipei where you have higher-level civil servants live saw very stong vote figures for the DPP - likely the highest ever. A few of them msut have been at least mid-level public servants.

Add in that the DPP team entering service this time is not the idealists we saw in 2000, they are more experienced, they have been blooded, they know that they have a fight in front of them, and they rae much better prepared than the teams in 2000 and 2008 were.

[sofun]

Nuclear No.4 will not go live.

[schwarzwald]

I hope it is not an indication of future policies and a slowing or stop of easing restrictions for foreigners living and working here.

Easing Restrictions for Foreign Labor Met With Resistance

“. . . .critics argue that the draft will not stem the outflow of Taiwanese talent. Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強), the outspoken attorney fighting against trade agreements with China and other economic issues, said that the plan would create serious competition for local young people’s job opportunities. On top of that, loosening the requirements will play into the hands of employers who wish to maintain the current low salary structures. So far, several of the newly elected legislators, including the New Power Party (NPP) caucus, have publicly spoken out against the modified draft.”

Read the rest here . .

ketagalanmedia.com/2016/01/2 … esistance/

[sofun]

It’s the Service trade agreement, not trade agreement. Do you know what the Chinese Nationalist’s “Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement” entails?

Answer: Chinese can come to Taiwan to work as waiters and hairdressers and renew their working visa INDEFINITELY for AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT." I’m not kidding you, because that’s what the Addendum 1 says.

(Sorry but I have to yell. And I have nothing against waiters and hairdressers)

Trade what exactly? Trade immigrants?

[Dog_s_Breakfast]

Well, I (and not only I) have noticed one change since the election…the Chinese bus tourists are gone. I mean, they’ve practically evaporated. The Taitung Tourist Night Market is looking rather downsized these days (in fairness, it’s been cold). I expect that Chinese New Year will keep the big hotels afloat for the next few weeks, but after that, who can say?

[rowland]

[quote=“sofun”]
Trade what exactly? Trade immigrants?[/quote]

You export what you have a surplus of. Either it amounts to a comparative advantage of some sort, or at least you get rid of what you don’t have room for.

China has a surplus of people. It’s that simple.