The Blame Stops with You, But Where Do the Sufferings Stop?

  The Blame Stops with You, But Where Do the Sufferings Stop?

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

July 4, 2017

 Translation of an Except

For the Tsai government, governance seems to be as simple as delivering a speech; all hardships and barriers can be easily overcome with florid rhetoric. However, when people have seen too much outrageous decision-making, those pompous but empty wordings lose their magic, revealing their vacuous essence. Just like when President Tsai delivered a speech after the laws were revised regarding pension reforms for civil servants and public school teachers, thanking the civil servants and public school teachers for playing the role of "stalwarts" in society, claiming that she would shoulder any costs, "all the blame stops with me." Every sentence in this passage is empty talk; we cannot see any intent of taking responsibility.

All we need to do is look at the high-handed posture of the DPP caucus when it rammed through the forward-looking plan on the 4^thof July; it won’t be difficult for the public to understand: Besides Tsai Ying-wen's will and face, this party has not much thinking about Taiwan's long-term planning, not much cherishing for the country's finances, not much concern or attention for economic development, nor much respect for the wisdom of the people. What the DPP has is the arrogance of controlling the majority of the parliament, is the Blue-Green divergence of enemy and foe, is the joy of triumph in the decisive encounter on the battlefield, and is the high-handedness of "what the government decides to do, it won’t allow questioning of the private sector."

On the one hand, the government cuts massively pensions for civil servants and public school teachers on the grounds of "fiscal constraints," but on the other hand, it immediately throws out an NT$880 billion, all-encompassing forward-looking construction plan. This contradictory approach of doing things does not look like the behavior of a government that cares about fiscal wholesomeness and a balanced budget. Moreover, the labor annuities reform has not yet taken center stage. Once the labor annuities reform program is introduced, when ten million laborers are going "to pay more and get less," apropos the pension reforms for civil servants and public school teachers, then the public will understand the "cleverness" of divide and rule on the part of the Tsai government. The government saves huge sums of money on expenditures relying on perfidy, while at the same time easily wins a reputation of "reform." It is shocking to look at the smartness of political calculations.

The arrogance with which the ruling party rams through the forward-looking plan bill, the obstinacy in its public policy of “one mandatory holiday, one flexible day-off,” and the sophistry with which the government conducts cross-Strait relations, do not allow the outside world to see that President Tsai will have any self-reflection or sense of guilt for her decision-making. "The blame stops with me" is sheer empty rhetoric. May we ask, as to the sufferings the people have to bear for the erroneous decision-making, where will they end?

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