The New Cabinet

Politics Taiwan Politics
1

Any comments on the new cabinet?

I’m especially pleased at the appointment of Tsai Ing-wen as Vice Premier. I regard her as by far the most capable woman to have ever held high political office in Taiwan, have long been touting her for a place among the leadership, and expect her to acquit herself very well – especially on missions to promote Taiwan’s cause in Washington. And now I’m surer than ever that she’ll be the second name on the pan-green ticket for the presidential election in 2008.

I also think that Liu Yu-shan is an excellent choice for secretary-general of the Cabinet. I can personally vouch for him as a highly intelligent, cultivated, honourable, cordial, modest and capable man, as well as a first-class administrator.

2

[quote=“Omniloquacious”]Any comments on the new cabinet?

I’m especially pleased at the appointment of Tsai Ing-wen as Vice Premier. [/quote]

I’ve heard good thing about her as well. She seems like one of the few DPP officials that is actually capable of administration. Then again, she also worked with LTH as a special advisor. :bravo:

She leads the LSE Alumni Group in Taiwan. I might just attend the next informal get together here in Taipei and tell her some of my interesting stories about the “Tainan Boy Scout Gang” in Taiwan’s international development agency and some of my recollections about my three years at the agency. :smiling_imp: Somebody with her expertise, class, and internationalism might be shocked about the cultural relativism, human rights abuses, ingratitude, and lack of internationalism that some of her boy-scout brothers (the new Secretary General and the new Director of Policy and Planning)have directed towards a fellow alumni :smiling_imp: Then again, I wouldn’t expect much sympathy from this xenophobic party. Well, at least I can tell some of grads in the private sector about my experiences and provide some necon balance to what will probably be a room full of champagne socialists:twisted:

3

The new Cabinet looks ship-shape so far. I saw Su on TV today with his “firewall” policy on unification guidelines and it looks great! Now, if people trust his leadership, he’s off to a running start!

4

What did Chen mean when he said he wanted the Cabinet to “start fires” all over the world? I mean - I think I know but will this lot be any more effective than the last line-up given the LY they have to deal with? :s

5

The two at the top are a definite improvement, but I see the rest as weakened by the changes rather than otherwise (especially the finance, economics, and interior ministries).

What a pity that the President has so needlessly, intemperately and injudiciously made things that much more difficult for them at the outset.

6

“Start fires”? What Chen should have said was “Do my bidding even if it costs you your careers and self respect, and if you should event THINK about disagreeing with me, you’ll go the same way as old Franky…”

This cabinet is a mix between Chen and New Tide lackies. They are nothing more than a mouthpiece for the two arms of the DPP that are now in the ascendency. If they get out of line, Chen or New Tide will cut them down in the same disrespectful way they did Frank’s crew.

And why did Frank get the chop? He disagreed with old greasball on cross-strait policy. That’s not a question of Taidu/Tongyi mind you - Xie is just as adamant about the indivisability of Taiwan’s sovereignty as the New Tide kids. He was just looking for a conciliatory path that best advanced Taiwan’s national interests, and this just happened to include introducing the three links. Chen sees this as a concession to the boys in Beijing, and lost ammunition in the war against the blues. And so Frank was axed.

Premier Su is going to fight an uphill battle trying to establish his credibility as anything more than a Chen puppet, particularly on cross-strait matters. On Chen’s direct orders, Cai Ying-wen will probably run this show over Su’s head - she has a slavish dedication to Chen, and must be particularly pleased that he has taken a deep-green rhetorical turn in recent years.

As ordaned by Chen, selling the abolition of the NUC and NUG will be Su’s main task for 2006. And what a complete waste of time and effort that will be. While Cai is busy frothing at the mouth about how important dissolving the NUG is for democracy, and Su is trying to convince the LY that “we should all be friends,” key pieces of reform legislation will be sidelined and the economy will continue its gradual descent down the drain. With a hostile LY, you can kiss goodbye to tax reform, SOE privatization, liberalization of the financial industry, blah, blah, blah…

So, in brief, what is the function of the Su’s EY? Put simply, it’s a war cabinet. Su and Co. are the shock troops in Chen and New Tide’s largely rhetorical struggle against the Mainland and the blues. When it’s all over (and when it goes badly wrong, as it will) Cai Ying-wen will return to academe and spend the rest of her life getting well paid to consider “what could have been.” Su, the poor bastard, will end up being a deputy, assistant zhuren in Taidong.

Politics is firmly in control with the new cabinet appointment. “Reasons of state” are on hold while Chen and his new deep-green friends have their last harrah. The whole thing is deeply shameful, and the worst of it is, the Taiwanese will probably let him get away with it…

7

Nice analysis, Guangtou, though I’d say you’re rather unfair to Tsai.

But what makes you think [quote]…and the worst of it is, the Taiwanese will probably let him get away with it…[/quote]?

Surely if things go on like this, Chen’s public approval rating will plumb new depths and the pan-greens will be taken to the cleaners at the LY elections. Even most of the not-too-stridently-pro-independence green supporters I know are dismayed by A-bian’s latest boat-rocking antics, while many of the middle-of-the-roaders are deeply appalled. How will that translate into the Taiwanese electorate letting him and his administration “get away with it”?

8

I don’t blame Guangton for his cynicism. Chen’s administration has shown a remarkable ability to come back from the grave during campaign season, even if they have to generate issues (oh, let’s say, I don’t know… something about a symbolic government entity that never meets and has no practical implication).

Beijing and the pan-Blues are going to try their darned hardest to avoid these issues, but I for one would never count the DPP out. What if, let’s say, a whole boat full of chickens “suspected” of being bird-flu positive are “discovered” being smuggled into Tainan, and massive quarantine of the “exposed” is implemented? Heck, what if there’s the Taiwanese equivalent of a Gulf of Tonkin…a ROC coast guard ship “disappears” a few days before the election after rising tensions between mainland Chinese and Taiwanese fishermen?

CSB knows how to pull these strings.

9

I’m waiting for CSB to declare war on 1 of the 25 allies ROC has left, as a distraction to any real issue.

Knowing CSB tendency to use is own personal tragedies to extract sympathy from the public, nothing would surprise me these days.

One day the headlines will read “KMT conspiracy to kill CSB family dog” and the public will eat it up.

10

[quote=“Omniloquacious”]Nice analysis, Guangtou, though I’d say you’re rather unfair to Tsai.

But what makes you think [quote]…and the worst of it is, the Taiwanese will probably let him get away with it…[/quote]?

Surely if things go on like this, Chen’s public approval rating will plumb new depths and the pan-greens will be taken to the cleaners at the LY elections. Even most of the not-too-stridently-pro-independence green supporters I know are dismayed by A-Bian’s latest boat-rocking antics, while many of the middle-of-the-roaders are deeply appalled. How will that translate into the Taiwanese electorate letting him and his administration “get away with it”?[/quote]

Interesting idea Omni, and I too have faith in the long-term capacity of democracy to right itself, but as Keynes once said “We all die in the long run…” In the short-term, by focusing on these deep-green shadows, Chen can do a lot of damage. Further, and this more directly relates to my throw away line, it is highly probable that even if the economy continues to wind-down, Chen will turn this to his advantage. “Taiwan’s economy is going through the doldrums due to unfair competition from the Mainland, and all those greedy Taishang doing business with the Gongfei. We have to raise tariffs…” We got a version of this rubbish with the fruit fiasco. The trouble with economics generally is that the topic area is sufficiently complex that most people aren’t able to, or bothered to, work out the wheat from the chaff. In all likelihood, Chen will turn this fact to his advantage and spin the downside of HIS own mischevious adventure. Who knows, he might even deliver a DPP victory at the next LY election on the strength of this crap. When the people final catch-on Chen’s been playing a shell game, he’ll be long gone…

Yep, I’m as angry as sin about what Chen’s up to at the moment. It’s nasty stuff. Short-termist, irredeemably political, and utterly, utterly selfish. The WNY and CNY speeches were a chance to seize the high road and he blew it completely. What a waste.