The Government’s Responsibility Is to Solve Problems, Not Create Problems

 The Government’s Responsibility Is to Solve Problems, Not Create Problems

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

August 10, 2017

 Translation of an Excerpt

The red light came on this week during the crisis of power shortage. Facing a prolonged, excruciatingly hot summer, civil servants have been compelled to work in a sweat at the hottest time slot during the day without air-conditioning, affecting also the public on official business. This wave of power rationing crises thoroughly exposed the Tsai government's weaknesses of "aiming high and doing little.” It loves sloganeering, but lacks the corresponding administrative capacity so much so that it misses the target, letting the public suffer the consequences.

During her inaugural address last year, Tsai Ing-wen said all people's expectations from the government were only two words: "solving problems." However, viewing the embarrassing situation of power shortages in Taiwan today, people cannot but feel that the government is, in fact, "creating problems" rather than solving problems.

For defending her "nuclear-free" slogan, the Tsai government not only wants to eliminate the cleaner, cheaper, more self-reliant nuclear power, it has also built more coal-fired power plants that easily pollute the environment, it wants to sacrifice Taiwan's safety in energy use, it wants to buy power from industries with higher prices, it wants to pledge no hikes in electricity rates, while knowing full-well it would be an impossibility, it wants to allow the mothballed Nuclear Power Plant No.4 to drag Taipower into bankruptcy, and at the same time, ending the lifeline of energy sources of the nation to imported LNG, which is more easily blocked or cut off.

Looking again at "green energy," which has been touted as a redeemer of energy sources by the Tsai government, what progress has been achieved? In accordance with President Tsai's planning, the ratio of renewable energy sources in 2025 will account for as high as 20% of power generation. However, in the past year, this figure has only been 4.8%, a mere increase of 0.8 percentage point year-on-year. Who can believe that the beautiful dream of a nuclear-free homeland in 2015 will become a reality?

If President Tsai cannot sense her mistake and make revisions, the costs will eventually be shouldered by the people. Will Tsai truly want to lead a government that creates problems?

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