A majority of Taiwanese are unhappy with the performance of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) two years into his presidency, a poll showed, with his China-friendly policies and disregard for sovereignty topping the list of complaints.
The poll, commissioned by Taiwan Thinktank and administered by Master Survey and Research Co over the weekend, showed that 58.6 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Ma's performance over the past two years, while 32.1 percent said they were satisfied.
The areas they were most dissatisfied about were, in order, Ma's China-friendly policies and negligence of national sovereignty, the poor economy, a failure to take care of ordinary people, indecisiveness and lack of credibility.
While Ma has vowed to create what he called a “golden decade,” about 64 percent of the respondents said they did not think Ma could deliver on the promise. Among centrist voters, nearly 69 percent said they did not believe Ma could make it happen.
The poll, which questioned 1,080 adults nationwide, was released in the run-up to the second anniversary of Ma's inauguration tomorrow.
On the economy, the poll found that 50.7 percent said the quality of life had worsened over the past two years, against 30.5 percent who said it was better.
Nearly 73 percent said the gap between the rich and poor had widened, while only 15.9 percent said the situation had improved. What was worth noting was that 52.7 percent of respondents who considered themselves Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supporters agreed that the situation had not improved.
Over 70 percent said they suspected the situation would worsen in the future. Nearly 79 percent identifying themselves as political moderates agreed. Among pan-blue supporters, about 49 percent expressed the same opinion.
When asked whether Ma's economic policies benefited big businesses or the general public, about 58.6 percent said the government sided with corporations. Even 61.5 percent of the respondents considering themselves as political moderates said the policy catered to corporate bodies.
On the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) the administration intends to sign with Beijing, about 56 percent said they were worried that the trade pact would worsen unemployment, while about 40 percent said it would not.
About 60 percent of the respondents said a referendum should be held to decide whether the accord should be signed, against 33.3 percent who said it was unnecessary.
A majority of respondents, 60.2 percent, said the government should suspend ECFA negotiations before a referendum is held. About 68 percent said they would vote in the referendum if it took place and 52.8 percent of the pan-blue supporters said they would too.
Taiwan Thinktank executive director Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) urged Ma to apologize for his “erroneous policies,” saying Ma was facing a “management crisis.”
“It is not something that can be fixed by a Cabinet reshuffle,” she said.
Cheng said Ma’s low approval rating discounted his legitimacy to push the proposed ECFA and the legislature must put the government in check should the trade deal be signed. She also called on the Referendum Review Committee to conduct their business fairly and independently.
Kenneth Lin (林向愷), a professor of economics at National Taiwan University, said one of Ma's biggest problems was his long-term insensitivity to the needs of the south.
“He doesn't have the Taiwanese on his mind, only China,” he said. “He doesn't care about the problems of the southerners nor does he have any solutions for them. He is only interested in being China’s cheerleader.”
Lin said the proposed ECFA is not a matter of independence or unification, but a conflict of interest among classes. While Ma should have made efforts to resolve problems, he turned a deaf ear to differing opinions and considered China a normal country with a market economy and a friendly ally that has the most potential for development.
Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信), a law professor at National Cheng Kung University, said there were other issues that deserved the administration's attention apart from an ECFA, including national defense, foreign affairs, education, labor, cultural creativity, biotechnology, branding, financial markets and agriculture.
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