The Presidential Office’s statement on Wednesday that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was not involved in the decision to allow construction of the 23-story I Pin Building (一品苑) in the Boai Special District (博愛特區) when he was Taipei mayor should come as no surprise.
The exoneration of Ma over actions deemed to have jeopardized his security now that he is president is just the latest example of his avoiding responsibility for anything controversial or potentially embarrassing that occurred on his watch.
Other examples include the infamous NT$1 billion (US$30 million) Maokong Gondola mess, which has been closed for more than a year since mudslides made it unsafe. Contractors and low-level engineers took the blame at the time, even though it was top-level maneuvering that resulted in the project avoiding an environmental impact assessment.
Ma also escaped censure in February when the China Chemical and Pharmaceutical Co was fined after failing to declare a conflict of interest when it signed a lucrative deal to supply drugs to Taipei City hospitals in 1998. At the time, Ma was mayor and one of his sisters was the company’s deputy manager.
A complete list of such incidents is too long to list here, but they span Ma’s tenure as mayor and continue into his presidency.
The most recent example came in August, when Typhoon Morakot exposed the government’s woeful preparations and disaster-response effort. Decisions by Ma and his inner circle arguably exacerbated the suffering and contributed to the death toll, yet it was left to Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and a few members of his Cabinet to fall on their collective swords, even as Ma belatedly toured disaster-hit areas apologizing, yet refusing to accept substantial responsibility.
All these examples have a common thread: Others take the heat while Ma remains on his pedestal. But as president, Ma has fewer places to hide. That is why from day one of his presidency he has attempted to highlight that under the Constitution the president is a figurehead and the premier is responsible for the day-to-day running of the country.
While the Constitution may state that the office of president only bears responsibility for cross-strait affairs, national defense and diplomacy, public perception is not dictated by the law and a majority of the public still view the president as the nation’s leader — someone whose job it is to make the big decisions and take the consequences. Ma has to cast off his legal blinkers and understand that. After all, it is the president who chooses the premier and other top officials. If they are not up to the task, then he is responsible.
Former US president Harry Truman famously had a sign on his desk reading: “The buck stops here.” If Ma had such a sign, it would read, “The buck doesn’t belong here.” His previous ironclad popularity has begun to suffer because of this.
If he continues in this vein, Ma may well ensure he leaves office with his self-esteem intact, but the overarching memory for many will be that of a weak president unwilling to face up to the consequences of his actions.
Somehow, US intelligence identified “the Houthis’ top missile guy” and pinpointed his exact location. At 1348 hours (Washington time), March 15, President Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz texted, “positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend’s building.” The unsuspecting Romeo entered. High above, the drone monitoring the building registered a flash. When the smoke cleared, Mr. Waltz texted, “…And it’s now collapsed.” RIP. The star-crossed “top missile guy” had been target number one in the now uproarious US Navy bombing campaign on that Sunday against the Yemeni rebels who have been holding the Red Sea hostage since October 19,
Deflation in China is persisting, raising growing concerns domestically and internationally. Beijing’s stimulus policies introduced in September last year have largely been short-lived in financial markets and negligible in the real economy. Recent data showing disproportionately low bank loan growth relative to the expansion of the money supply suggest the limited effectiveness of the measures. Many have urged the government to take more decisive action, particularly through fiscal expansion, to avoid a deep deflationary spiral akin to Japan’s experience in the early 1990s. While Beijing’s policy choices remain uncertain, questions abound about the possible endgame for the Chinese economy if no decisive
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following comments she made — in English — in which she said: “Thank you to Tiffany for bringing me to Taipei, because I do love this country very much.” Her remarks and the subsequent Instagram caption were reported in Taiwan, in Chinese and English- language media such as Radio Free Asia, and overseas,
China poses a dire threat to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as it steps up efforts to poach Taiwan’s top chip talent, following the US’ implementation of stringent chip restrictions. Beijing is keen to develop its own semiconductor technologies, leveraging skilled engineers from Taiwan, Europe and other countries to circumvent US restrictions on providing China access to advanced US chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence applications, as well as other chip technologies and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan has always contended with talent competition from China, but the situation is worsening. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that China’s ARK Semi and