On the Domestic Front: Ma continues to win the hearts and minds

Freelance writer Cindy Tsui has a nifty piece in the Asia Times on Regional Administrator Ma Ying-jeou's slumping popularity, which reached an astonishing new low in the latest TVBS poll. Enjoy this comment from a political scientist....

"Personally, I'm surprised with his incapability; I thought he was more capable," said Shane Lee, a political science professor at southern Taiwan's Chang Jung Christian University.

The way Ma's administration handled the crisis over contaminated milk products imported from mainland China frustrated the public. It was seen as doing too little, too late and when it finally acted, consumers were confused.

Instead of banning imports, immediately checking stores for tainted products and reassuring the public about food safety, the administration instead simply raised the level of the harmful chemical melamine allowed to exist in products.

The health minister was eventually forced to step down. He accepted responsibility for the widespread public panic which caused huge economic losses. Pro-independence activists blamed the crisis on Ma's policy of closer ties with China. The administration, however, has recently demanded an apology from China and said it will seek compensation for economic losses.

I never thought Ma was particularly capable, as anyone who had followed his eight years of running Taipei could have conjectured. But I didn't think that the people behind Ma would set policy drift the way the KMT has. The article lays out some of the issues:

Part of the problem, said Lee, is that Ma seems to be rigidly sticking to the responsibilities of the president as spelled out in Taiwan's constitution. The island's charter says the president is responsible for foreign policy, cross-strait relations and national security issues. Ma has said the day-to-day governing of the country should be left to the Executive Yuan, or cabinet, something his predecessor Chen Shui-bian never did.

In practice, Ma's approach is proving bad for his image. After all, he is the highest-ranking elected official in Taiwan and people expect him to take charge, especially in times of crises.

The fact that his cabinet largely consists of academics who have not shown the temerity to handle crises, doesn't help, according to observers and local media.

"Some people point out that the KMT has been out of power for so long, so it's very rusty in governing," said Lee, who added that another problem was the old guard in the KMT is still very much in charge and continues to wield old ways of governance.

This article, along with the many others in the media, all suggest that it would be relatively easy for Ma to reverse the plunge --take charge, safeguard the nation's health and sovereignty, dismiss ineffective ministers. Ma must not know this -- so the administration presents a double mystery: why is it so incompetent? And why, with obvious and easily implemented solutions at hand, does it continue to pursue the Calvin Coolidge approach?

On the lighter side, a DPP legislator attacked the new health minister this week, jumping on him and choking him with his tie. Apparently the legislator had arranged a press conference at which the minister would be featured, and the minister had gone instead to a competing KMT event. Note to self: do not wear a tie to press conferences.....UPDATE: Corrections in the comments below, almost all details of this story in dispute.

[Taiwan]