Slips in Diplomacy the Inevitable Outcome of Layman Leadership
2019/01/03
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Slips in Diplomacy the Inevitable Outcome of Layman Leadership
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)
December 26, 2018
Translation of an Excerpt
The dark clouds over the suicide of Su Chii-cherng, director of the TECO office in Osaka, are still waiting to be clarified, and a new siren has sounded in the "New Southward Policy." A travel agency sponsored four Vietnamese tourist groups, totaling 153 individuals, to travel to Taiwan for sightseeing. In four days, surprisingly, 152 went missing, leaving behind only one Vietnamese tour guide. Such a serious incident of escape demonstrates that the government's propensity for “achievements” and laxity in execution in the "New Southward Policy" has caused a big loophole in Taiwan's border control, leaving Southeast Asian tourists “jumping ship” and entering “a country with no defense.”
Since President Tsai took office, she has vigorously pushed the "New Southward Policy," believing that it could completely replace the Mainland market. Meanwhile, in order to create a false image that "the number of tourists has not decreased," the Tsai government endlessly used the approach of tourism subsidies to augment the numbers, welcoming many arrivals not for the purpose of tourism, eventually being denigrated to illegal workers and overstaying visitors. In the past two years, the number of foreigners engaged in the sex trade in Taiwan has climbed to new heights; one of the principal reasons is the loophole for entry under the New Southward Policy.
For more than two years, in the Foreign Ministry, "politics oppresses professionalism" and "laymen lead career people"; the DPP has incessantly appointed Green camp men in the foreign affairs system, ostensibly proclaiming that it would thoroughly implement the President’s will, but in reality, it could not demonstrate the efficiency of professional diplomacy, leading to setback upon setback in the diplomatic defense lines. More seriously, once a serious incident occurs, the political appointees are afraid to shoulder responsibility, while all the way pushing responsibility to career Foreign Service Officers.
It has been said "mistaken policy decisions are more serious than corruption"; this is a case in point. The Tsai government chooses to evade facing the Chinese Mainland, while sacrificing national security and law and order in the "New Southward Policy." The high echelons occupy positions of power and authority, while pushing the responsibility to their subordinates; this is the inevitable outcome of “politics rules supreme” and laymen leadership.
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