Cabinet Reshuffle Reveals the Limits of Tsai Ing-wen’s Stature

 Cabinet Reshuffle Reveals the Limits of Tsai Ing-wen’s Stature

 United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

February 5, 2017
 Translation of an Except

The Cabinet reshuffle that had been rumored for quite some time finally showed its hand. The end result was not a big news story, nor exhibited any sparks, let alone pleasant surprises. The heads of the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Council of Agriculture were principally replaced by Tsai Ying-wen’s confidantes. It could be said to be a "reshuffle that touched nobody’s heart," and the public could not sense anything new. Viewing the bigger picture, the Tsai government seems to have exhausted its limits in stature. In the future, there probably won’t be a possibility of grandiose development.

This reshuffle mainly focused on the distribution of “internal” power among the pushing and shoving factions within the party and government; it did not consider the "external" social expectations and the factor of national competitiveness. Therefore, the reshuffle was a cavalier coping of public opinion, and the public could not see any thoughts of serving the people.

After more than eight months of rumblings, the first Cabinet reshuffle in Tsai Ing-wen's tenure, to the surprise of many, was so commonplace. Not only letting down public expectations, it also limited the possibility of self-transcendence on the part of the powers that be. The blueprint of reforms was painted to be so grandiose, but the troops that were dispatched so thin that it made such a stark contrast.

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