The Liberty Times: President Ma good at nothing but campaigning
President Ma Ying-jeou’s lack of skills as a national leader was fully betrayed after he took office. An East Asian affairs expert, American Shelley Rigger, said recently that Ma will face a tough reelection battle in light of his low approval rating.
It really doesn’t take a political scientist to see that the road to reelection will be a bumpy one for Ma, given his bungled policies, his poor judgment in Cabinet picks and flagging approval rating.
According to Rigger, Ma has lost the people’s trust mainly because of his non-transparent policy making process. However, she said that the weakness of Ma’s administration would be a blessing for the country because he would have to heed public opinion and refrain from tilting too much toward China.
Although he is now president, Ma has not lost the mindset of a candidate. He has continued to barnstorm around the island seeking support for a second term. But when the country needs leadership and action from the government, he is not there to give it.
It is natural for officials to seek reelection, but a politician who keeps campaigning without bothering to do the job he was elected to do probably would not get reelected.
Ma advocates a pro-China policy in disregard of majority public opinion. The electorate cannot oust him at this time but is sure to punish him in the next presidential election. Rigger was only pointing to the writing on the wall, which most people have already seen.(March 15, 2010) (By Maubo Chang)
More Info: http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=182702&CtNode=39
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