Political bickering impeding economy

Politics Taiwan Politics
1

Hmm… I know the Taiwanese press often makes a big deal out of this whole World Competitiveness ranking thing. I hadn’t realized the new results were already out.

taipeitimes.com/News/editori … 2003308820

Political bickering impeding economy
By Hsu Chi-chih 許啟智

Thursday, May 18, 2006,Page 8

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Taiwan has long been bogged down in political bickering between the governing and opposition parties. Despite public dissatisfaction with the political and economic situation, financial institutions abroad still rate Taiwan as a very competitive region.

But in the latest World Competitiveness Yearbook published by the Lausanne Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland, Taiwan’s ranking dropped seven notches, to 18th place, while China jumped 12 notches, to No. 19. The IMD report has sounded the alarm for Taiwan’s worsening competitiveness, which deserves the attention of both the government and opposition.

The latest IMD rankings show that the Taiwanese people and government can remain confident in their country. That Taiwan was ranked above 60 other countries and regions in terms of scientific and technological infrastructure, as well as business attitudes and values, shows that it is keeping up with international trends, and in some cases taking the lead.

The rankings are based on the evaluation of four main competitiveness factors: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure, with 312 sub-criteria. Despite improvements in a few areas, Taiwan saw a large drop of 10 to 15 notches in terms of its legal and regulatory framework, international trade and investment, and was ranked 58th in terms of “risk of political instability” and “social cohesion.” This shows that political infighting has hampered the nation’s economic competitiveness.

In last year’s IMD competitiveness rankings, Taiwan was ranked ahead of Ireland (12th), Norway (15th) and Sweden (14th), the top-ranked European nations. Although this ranking seems questionable, in the eyes of foreigners, Taiwan is a nation which possesses exuberant vitality and whose competitiveness does not lag behind that of other powerful nations.

In the past, Taiwan performed badly in the governmental efficiency rankings, but fairly strongly in business efficiency, infrastructure and economic efficiency. The overall drop this year, however, is a clear indication that the gridlocked government has finally had an impact on business operations. The idea of “effective management” further damaged foreign investors’ confidence in the investment environment.

The strong performances of Hong Kong and Singapore, ranked second and third after the US both last year and this year, are due to the following factors: deregulated policies towards China, the government’s active role as a trailblazer for the business sector, good overall government efficiency, rapid economic development and active markets.

They make use of the vast business opportunities in China and boldly open up all kinds of ventures. As for Taiwan, its isolationism and the government’s shortsightedness have made the nation suffer from declining economic competitiveness.

This year, we saw a large-scale improvement in China’s democratic and corporate conditions, placing it just below Taiwan in the rankings. China estimates that by 2008 the aggregate production in Guangdong Province will exceed that of Taiwan, while Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces are expected to surpass Taiwan by 2010. China is forging ahead while Taiwan’s competitive advantage erodes.

The government should learn from Hong Kong and Singapore how to put its resources to good use. If the political bickering continues, Taiwan might fall behind China in next year’s IMD report. The IMD survey should tell government officials and businesspeople alike that they must become more active and aggressive, and not allow the nation to sink any further.

Hsu Chi-chih is the editor-in-chief of Marbo Investment Quarterly

2

Taipei Times hitting a particularly somber note tonight. ac_dropout, remember to add this editorial to your bookmark list the next time someone accuses you of exaggerating CSB’s plummeting support numbers. (Although I guess there’s nowhere to go from 5.8%. )

taipeitimes.com/News/editori … 2003308819

Editorial: Chen’s problems hurt us all

Thursday, May 18, 2006,Page 8

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Nobody ever said it was easy being president, let alone the president of a country that has as uncertain a status as Taiwan. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has no easy task trying to boost Taiwan’s competiveness, while also trying to support efforts toward building a national consciousness.

Now, with the latest spate of allegations involving associates close to the first family, life is not any easier for Chen. After fending off allegations by pan-blue legislators about his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍), and accusations that his senior aides meddled in merger deals between private businesses before his trip to Latin America earlier this month, Chen must now contend with more intrigue concerning relatives of the first family.

The parents of Chen’s son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), were accused of financial improprieties by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅). Chiu claimed that Chao’s mother, Chien Shui-mien (簡水綿), was involved in insider trading after she bought shares in Taiwan Development Corp (TDC) sold by Chang Hwa Commercial Bank.

Chang Hwa sold all 24 million TDC shares it owned to three people, including Chien. Chien bought the shares last year at relatively low prices when the company was experiencing financial troubles. TDC was later bailed out, and its share price rose rapidly, enabling her to net a big fortune, Chiu said. Thus, Chen was given no time to bask in the 33 percent approval rating he enjoyed in the wake of his just-concluded diplomatic trip to South America – a rating which was rather encouraging, given his previous one of 18 percent in March.

Although it is not his own wrongdoing, the allegation nonetheless has dealt another blow to the Democratic Progressive Party administration, which is already suffering from low morale due to its stagnant approval rating, as evidenced by the latest poll conducted by the party’s political ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union.

According to a poll released on Tuesday, Chen’s approval rating has dropped to a new low of just 5.8 percent. Obviously these allegations are hurting Chen and his government, and subsequently, the legitimacy of the pro-localization movement.

One could call Chao and his family naive, unaware of the effect their personal doings have on Chen. Others might call them idiots for not applying common sense.

Either way, knowing that outsiders are scrutinizing every move made by the members of the first family, not to mention that Chen’s political rivals are eager for a chance to attack him, the Chao family should have known better. This incident has given Chen’s political opponents more ammunition to attack him.

Since Chien was the one suspected of wrongdoing, she should come forward to tell her story.

The government should also implement damage-control measures. For a start, the Presidential Office should stop simply issuing press statements, and take the time to answer the media’s questions concerning the incident on behalf of Chien and her family. Given the recent spate of events concerning the first family and its associates, perhaps it is time for the Presidential Office to consider hiring a public relations firm to help revamp its much-damaged public image. As Chen himself put it, the conduct of his close associates, despite not being public figures, matters greatly, given their close association with the head of state.

Any doubts or suspicions that call into question the president’s integrity have a tremendous impact on the government, as well as the future of the pro-localization movement.

Therefore, all members and associates of the first family must exercise discretion.

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[quote=“cctang”]Either way, knowing that outsiders are scrutinizing every move made by the members of the first family, not to mention that Chen’s political rivals are eager for a chance to attack him, the Chao family should have known better. This incident has given Chen’s political opponents more ammunition to attack him.[/quote]Just wanted to point out that even the DPP legislative caucus is calling upon Chao to apologize publically.

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My bad. It looks like I just missed earlier press reports. I’ve been busy!

taipeitimes.com/News/biz/arc … 2003307393

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:roflmao:

Democracy is a bad thing . . . democracy is a bad expensive thing . . . (keep saying it over and over until you believe it).

cctang, I wonder why you bother. You admit you’ve never been to Taiwan, so why should you care? Go on, show your true colours, boiyo!

HG

6

Things government should learn from HK:

  • European law and how to fully implement law
  • Explore even more a nearby region (well, this is also a way of saying imperialism)
  • If you have a problem, shut up (and pray nobody knows you ever sayd anything)
  • Public Management
  • International Investment politics (hey, you can open an investment company in 1 day, over there)

Things government should learn from Singapore

  • Widespread Broadband Use (fiberoptics for everyone)

Things government should learn from somewhere else:

  • This is a democracy, so public opinion counts - hire PR companies, will you…
  • Increase the accountability over false declarations (this would bring the false accusations problem well down)
  • Media is used as a court, which is the most stupid use of the freedom of speech - if you have proof of wrongdoing, go to the police (and then you can come out and say you where the one that discovered, this way you will be completelly clean)
  • Increase the ammount of police doing “white collar” investigation - this will show clearly that everyone who is doing something wrong must be caught
  • Decrease the bureaucracy in the government - too much paperwork leads to corruption and ineffiency
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but we don’t care about economic prosperity. in fact, we would rather have the people of taiwan starve to death than compromise at all with the commie bastards on the other side of the strait. of course it won’t get that bad. to hell with the economy if we can’t have a free independent repbulic of taiwan.

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fanglangzhe - a stable and prosper country is the base for the democratic thought. No democracy can be obtained when there is noone obeying laws.
Also, stable and prosper countries are even better in a democratic environment.

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[quote=“Huang Guang Chen”]
Democracy is a bad thing . . . democracy is a bad expensive thing . . . (keep saying it over and over until you believe it).

cctang, I wonder why you bother. You admit you’ve never been to Taiwan, so why should you care? Go on, show your true colours, boiyo!

HG[/quote]Uhm, what? I didn’t write the darn article, I just linked it. Write your criticism to someone that cares, like the editors at the Taipei Times.

As far as never “been to Taiwan”, perhaps that has something to do with the fact that in order to receive a Taiwanese tourist visa, I essentially have to agree to be placed on parole. If/when Taiwan liberalizes its tourist policies towards mainland Chinese, I probably will have no choice. I’m reasonably sure I’ll be hog-tied into visiting Taiwan (and my soon-to-be-extended-family) shortly after.

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Boo fucking hoo. Any foreigner who visits any country has to be put on fucking “parole”. If I go to China, like I have rights. Even if I don’t have a spy assigned to follow my movements (which I have heard is common practice in China, from tourists who have been there), I still only have about 90 days to visit and have to register everywhere I go and it is illegal for me to have a Chinese guest in my hotel room (especially if it’s a member of the opposite sex, even if it’s my wife - might get beaten up by Chinese thugs for that, and have the police turn a blind eye to it).

So don’t complain. You currently live in America, or is it Canada, or the U.K., right? You certainly aren’t living in China, as Forumosa.com is banned in the PRC. You can easily travel to the ROC if you wanted to, with your U.S. or whatever passport. So stop making stuff up.

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When did you visit China and where did you go? Have you even been there? or are all your arguments based on gossip?

I could see this happening 15 years ago, or if you go to sensitive areas like Tibet or near embassies or government buildings or if you’re a foreign journalist, but otherwise what you’re suggesting is kinda laughable.

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Speaking of making $hit up… I posted on Forumosa.org while I was on the mainland a few months back. No anonymous redirect, no servers… just typed it in the address bar at my computer at the Beijing airport and I was off. The thread’s out there somewhere on this forum, maybe I’ll dig it up later.

I might be flying to Shanghai next weekend. I’ll drop you another note if I do. And as Jack has already observed, the rest of what you said pretty much just exposes your own ignorance and biases rather than making a point.

Just to be clear about the “tourist” experience in Taiwan for a mainlander, as I last saw it reported:

  • a bed check at 10:30 PM every night,
  • a fixed 7-day or 10-day itiniary; leave the tour group for a second, and you’re reported.
  • one day (during the day) given to actual self exploration.

And really, that’s the kind of experience “any country” offers their tourists?

Not that you’ve ever been to mainland China… but maybe if you ask someone nicely, they’ll clue in as to how a typical tourist experience on the mainland slightly differs from this.

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Well, compare that to the fact that you actually need to say you are a Chinese to go into China… I would consider it a pure and simple violation of rights - I never went (nor plan to go) to China (although many people from my business have invited me) because of this simple matter.

What would Chinese say if the ROC government would make them have a new ID card saying “Overseas ROC Citizen”???

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[quote=“mr_boogie”]Well, compare that to the fact that you actually need to say you are a Chinese to go into China… I would consider it a pure and simple violation of rights - I never went (nor plan to go) to China (although many people from my business have invited me) because of this simple matter.
[/quote]
That’s bizarre. Who in the world wants you to say you’re Chinese? I thought you were Portugese. Last time I checked, tens of millions of people enter mainland China every year without declaring that they’re Chinese. :loco:

I can hope that you’re talking about the taibaozheng (‘Taiwanese compatriot license’) which Taiwanese use to enter mainland China? I know amongst some of the fire-breathing, foaming at the mouth TI’ers out there, the idea of filling out the form gives them nightmares. I can’t really figure out why.

The full legal name of the document is the 台湾居民来往大陆通行证: literally, Taiwan Residents Visiting Mainland Access Pass. You can even look at the document at any of the PRC’s oversea embassy websites:

chinaconsulatechicago.org/ch … efault.htm
fmcoprc.gov.hk/chn/lsfw/zgrz … 663381.pdf

If anyone sees anything on that form that looks remotely like a loyalty oath, or a declaration that the signer “is Chinese”… please let me know.

I hope I’ve eased your mind of these ridiculous fears, and now we mainland Chinese can finally be blessed with your presence.

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cctang, I was obviously talking about the taibaozheng. No doubt that my passport is surelly well appreciated in China (Hell it says European Union)… so much that everytime I go to Macao I see hundreds of them.

But as you obviously missed the point, creating a document for Chinese stating “ROC compatriot licence” would be capable of the equivalent of pressing the button from the PLA, no? What about this - to enter Taiwan you have to ackowledge you live in the Republic of China, under a territory controlled by the CCP. Because that is the equivalent. Because there is the word Mainland there - if you accept that there is a Mainland, you accept that Taiwan is part of the PRC. Of course, a document like that is of course ridiculous, because Taiwanese have ID and Passport, and those are accepted almost everywhere in the world (except the big bro).

16

mr_boogie,

Obviously you’re unfamiliar with ROC law. Any mainland Chinese that visits Taiwan is legally allowed to do so under this law:

  • 臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例 (literal: Taiwan Region and Mainland Region People’s Interaction Law)

In other words, my uninformed Portugese friend, any mainlander that visits the ROC legally has to accept that they’re coming from the “mainland area” of the Republic of China. The text of the law is available for reading here, as well:
mac.gov.tw/big5/law/wr-a1.htm

By the way, this isn’t some arbitrary historical act. This law was last revised in the ROC year 92 (2003 to the rest of the world). This is the law that guides all mainland Chinese/Taiwanese interaction.

In other words, what you consider a bizarre rhetorical question is in fact the state of cross-strait affairs.

17

[quote=“cctang”]mr_boogie,

Obviously you’re unfamiliar with ROC law. Any mainland Chinese that visits Taiwan is legally allowed to do so under this law:

  • 臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例 (literal: Taiwan Region and Mainland Region People’s Interaction Law)

In other words, my uninformed Portugese friend, any mainlander that visits the ROC legally has to accept that they’re coming from the “mainland area” of the Republic of China. The text of the law is available for reading here, as well:
mac.gov.tw/big5/law/wr-a1.htm

By the way, this isn’t some arbitrary historical act. This law was last revised in the ROC year 92 (2003 to the rest of the world). This is the law that guides all mainland Chinese/Taiwanese interaction.

In other words, what you consider a bizarre rhetorical question is in fact the state of cross-strait affairs.[/quote]

Taiwan and Mainland Persons Relations Act

18

So, and after this, do you accept to be a citizen of the Republic of China (which your government denies to exist) and come to Taiwan?

Because the question is : I know Taiwanese that will never accept they are part of the PRC to be able to go there. Same will happen to many Chinese. So don’t tell people that rejecting their beliefs gives them foaming in the mouth and it is confusing, because it happens both sides.

But anyways, and back to the subject, otherwise Feiren will start another thread (and he is absolutelly right to do so), I still believe that most of the bickering that exists in the Taiwan politics is directly or inderictly caused by the PRC. Nothing like stopping this country development will make Taiwanese want to go back to the blooming “superpower of the 21st century”.

19

Yes, there’s people that foam at the mouth on both sides. I don’t think I’ve ever denied that.

And no, I have absolutely no problems visiting Taiwan as a “citizen of the Republic of China” (Chen Shui-bian might mind, though). I take pride in my PRC citizenship, but I’m Chinese first and foremost.

If being a PRC citizen and “being Chinese” conflict some how, I would choose to be Chinese instead. And I know that’s a position held by the vast majority of mainland Chinese. I know that’s a position that’s even held by the Beijing government… why else would they offer to destroy the PRC, if that’s what it takes, for reunification to occur?

20

destroy the PRC and establish another authoritharian rule, but this time with Taiwan embedded?