A range of opinion polls were published in the run-up to the second anniversary of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) inauguration. Despite differences in the actual numbers, when seen as a whole, the picture that emerges is one of a continued slide in the public’s satisfaction with Tsai’s performance, coupled with a gradual increase in her disapproval ratings.
There is considerable agreement among the polls that respondents with little confidence in her leadership outnumber those who have confidence in her. The trend suggests that Taiwan’s leaders are facing something of a crisis of confidence.
This is good for neither the nation nor Taiwanese, and cannot be fully explained by simply saying that the government, in pursuing a reform agenda, was always going to have to break a few eggs.
BRAVE AIMS
Over the past few years, Tsai has bravely attempted to address some of the nation’s ills, and aggressively pursued a reform agenda. This is laudable.
In general, her seeking to claim back illicitly acquired party assets and tackle workers’ rights, transitional justice and pension, judicial and financial reforms, as well as to deal with low salaries and the low birthrate, are all examples of her fulfilling campaign promises, and are well-intentioned policies that comply with fairness, justice and public opinion.
It is only natural for the policies to offend those with vested interests or the minority affected by the reforms, but they have at the same time been supported by the majority, who expect such reforms to be carried through.
That said, the continued slide in her approval ratings highlights that there is something that Tsai is not quite catching on to. This is either due to the reforms not having been adequately carried through or to Tsai appointing individuals who have prevaricated about pushing the reforms through — or both.
Consequently, Tsai’s administration has been overly cautious the minute the reforms have met any opposition or boycott, and failed to make them happen. At every step, it has found itself in a defensive posture.
A REAL MESS
Pension reform and workers’ rights legislation have led to social unrest. Thus far, judicial reform has been treading water. Frankly, the government has made a real mess of things — so the trends shown by the polling numbers come as little surprise. This has contributed to the crisis of confidence, and it is a shame.
There is no sense in quibbling or making comparisons with previous administrations. Tsai herself must not be overly happy with her mid-term grades. The hope is that she will get things back on track and make good use of the remaining two years of this term. She will need to demonstrate self-confidence and courage.
In terms of her governance, she must, once she has addressed the current predicament and identified the procedural failings that have led to it, establish policies that set her back on course.
In terms of her personnel picks, she must alter her overcautious mindset and appoint ministers up to the demands of the task at hand. If she does this, she will save herself from the burgeoning crisis of confidence in her administration, something no leader wants.
The public will respond to her if she takes the correct approach and appoints the right people. Sometimes being preoccupied with securing a second term is counterproductive.
Lau Yi-te is chairman of the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Translated by Paul Cooper
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS