Taiwan - Taiwan president admits to failures as thousands take to streets

Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou yesterday summed up four major failures over his past four years in office, as thousands of people took to the streets in Taipei protesting some of the government's recent controversial moves.

He said over the past four years he has not done enough to boost job opportunities, increase salaries, narrow the wealth gap, and communicate with the public over government policies.

He said he felt sorry for the disturbances and inconvenience stemming from some of his recent policies.

“I feel very uneasy, and also feel I owe the people something,” Ma told a press conference on the eve of his inauguration to a second term.

But he likened the road of reform to a difficult uphill route. He said some reforms cannot wait, but he will respect public opinion and try his best to look after the interests of the people.

Ma's approval ratings have hit new lows since he took office in 2008.

He defeated opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen in the January 14 presidential poll, but his popularity has been plummeting since then after making several controversial decisions.

He has been bent on lifting a ban on US beef imports despite public concern over the health risk of the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine. Many lawmakers from the ruling Kuomintang have vowed to block Ma's beef policy.

Ordinary people and business leaders alike have been angered by Ma's energy reform, which aims at “normalizing” the pricing structures of electricity and gasoline by raising their prices despite the risk of fueling inflation amid a weak global economy.

His attempt to introduce a tax on stock gains to return fairness to the taxation institution has further alienated him from the nation, and investors in particular.

Tsai said the president should not be paying lip-service only when expressing regret over the recent controversies. “He needs to know what he has really done wrong,” Tsai said during the massive anti-Ma protest.

But Ma defended his policies at the press conference, saying as a popularly elected president he will shoulder all responsibility.

He said the energy prices are rising not because he personally would like them to, but because they are needed to reflect to the costs.

He maintained that it would be unfair if the government continued to use tax payers' money to subsidize energy prices.

He said the government decided to increase gasoline prices swiftly in order to deter hoarding. He added the gasoline prices in Taiwan should reflect the fluctuations in international oil prices.

He maintained that for electricity prices, the government has listened to public opinion and adjusted the increase schedule to reduce the impact.

He also stressed that the government will finalise the version of the stock gains tax as soon as possible, as a prolonged delay will hurt the stock market.

In response to queries about the government's nuclear power policy, Ma said priority is given to maintain safety, reduce reliance on nuclear power and create an environment of low carbon emissions.

He said the government has plans to build massive wind farms and rooftop solar power systems, but they cannot be expected to replace nuclear power completely in the short term.

But the government's aim to build a non-nuclear country remains unchanged, he said.

Ma has repeatedly sent out messages that he understands the concern of the nation over his reform agenda, but stressed that his direction is correct although the means by which the reforms are carried out can be adjusted.

One adjustment he has made — as he pointed out at the press conference — is the decision to raise electricity prices in stages, instead of the original plan to hike them all at once.

But that has not been enough to appease the people. A recent survey indicates that 57 per cent of the respondents do not think Ma respects public opinion, and 56 per cent do not think he is able to lead Taiwan.

In the same survey, his disapproval rating is as high as 66 per cent.

News Desk

The China Post

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