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Premier Lai’s High-Stake Gambling, or the New Premier’s Lavish Courtesy Gift?

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 Premier Lai’s High-Stake Gambling, or the New Premier’s Lavish Courtesy Gift?

 

United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

January 9, 2019

Translation of an Excerpt

Premier Lai Ching-te will soon lead his Cabinet to resign en masse; it has been circulated that he may probably announce policies to dole out benefits. One is to expand domestic demand; the second is to distribute "dividends" to the underprivileged. The amounts reach as high as NT$40 billion, eliciting strong questioning from external circles. Premier Lai will resign for the defeat in the local elections, but if in one stroke, he distributes dividends of tens of billions of NT dollars as his own parting gift, it would be exceedingly lavish.

A "caretaker" cabinet toward the end of its term, in a short period of days, drew up plans to dole out an unprecedented NT$40 billion in public funds, but it could not even speak clearly about the positioning of its basic policy, nor did it engage in communication with the external circles vis-à-vis their many questionings. Such an approach lacks legitimacy from any angle and does not conform to the spirit of a "caretaker," either. It stands to reason that he should leave the matter to the next premier so as to conform to the spirit of responsible government. However, his Cabinet members are anxious to seek achievements, wanting to accomplish the tasks before the Cabinet’s resignation. In the eyes of the public, besides being cavalier, the whole thing shows too much rashness in seeking accomplishments and near-term benefits, lacking attentive consideration to the nation’s finances.

Last year, the Tsai government used “fiscal restraints” to launch a manhunt against retired military, civil servants, and public school teachers; now, however, instead it is using "fiscal surpluses" as an excuse to distribute dividends to the underprivileged. The two, besides being literally contradictory, also lack persuasiveness.

As far as the Tsai government is concerned, regardless of how these 40-plus billion NT dollars will finally be used, it has at a minimum the political effect of "cooking three dishes out of one fish": one is to consider it as a parting gift at a time of Premier Lai’s departure; the second is keeping it as a new premier’s courtesy gift at his time of assuming office; the third is to consider it as ammunition for President Tsai Ing-wen in her propaganda of achievements and re-election bid. How could anyone not feel pain in one’s heart if one sees huge amounts of public funds being doled out by the powers-that-be as personal "favors"!

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