Fixing Broken Windows: Turning One's Cheek Will Not Win Respect

Fixing Broken Windows: Turning One's Cheek Will Not Win Respect
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)
A Translation
August 8, 2013

Summary: President Ma has gone from yesterday's charismatic leader to today's embattled leader. Part of the problem is the gap between his self image and public perception. He imagines that turning the other cheek will win respect. This is pure self-delusion. He must first repair the broken windows of his own image. He must change his low-key, passive style, and his habit of fixating on trivialities. He must demonstrate the ability to see what is important, to champion what he believes, and to stand his ground when required. Only then can he to motivate his colleagues in the ruling administration to fight on, shoulder to shoulder.

Full text below:

In one short week, two defense ministers have stepped down. A military justice bill, denounced as "slapdash law-making," has been hastily passed. Two hundred thousand people have gathered at Ketegelan Boulevard in protest. Ma administration crisis management in the Hung Chung-chi case merely made matters worse. The erosion of military discipline is not the only concern. The bigger question is whether the government as a whole can function normally and provide effective leadership for the ROC.

Andrew Yang was in office only six days before he was forced to resign over accusations of plagiarism. These disputes may be military infighting. They may be Blue vs. Green ideological struggles. Either way, they expose the hasty hiring and equally hasty firing of personnel by the Ma administration. The accusations of plagiarism have been around for years. They were confirmed recently. President Ma and Premier Chiang may have been unaware. But they should have exercised more caution. They should have consulted elders familiar with the military subculture. Had they done so, they would not have embarrassed themselves by appointing a "man of letters" minister who would be forced to step down in six days.

Andrew Yang has resigned over charges of plagiarism. Kao Hua-chu was forced to resign over the Hung Chung-chiu case. Which case was more serious? Today it is difficult to tell. The Ma administration is already caught in a vicious cycle known as the "broken windows theory." When President Ma's popularity began to slip, the administration was unable to halt the slide. Today, an endless string of tiny mistakes has added up to one giant mistake. Now anyone can complain about the government. Now anyone can throw stones and break windows. When the government gets blamed for everything under the sun, its reputation becomes increasingly difficult to redeem. The more difficulty the Ma administration encounters, the darker the prospects are for Taiwan. This is the real cause for concern.

In a normal democracy, each agency performs its duties. Political appointees make policy. Career civil servants execute policy. This is the politics of responsibility. On today's Taiwan however, the public has become accustomed to blaming President Ma for everything that goes wrong. This is not entirely fair. The problem is that President Ma has become accustomed to meddling in all affairs, large or small, He does not know where to draw the line. He unwittingly fulfills the public's worst expectations. He also pulls the rug out from under his political appointees, undermining their ability to assume responsibility.

Recently scholars have criticized the Ma administration, saying that its "cabinet ministers are like passers-by." This is why. The more presidential prestige declines, the more ministerial morale erodes, and the more President Ma's political appointees distance themselves from him. When the president meddles in specialize matters beyond his purview, he leaves those in charge at a loss. He disrupts their affairs. This vicious cycle makes it more difficult for the government to meet public expectations. The handling of the Hung Chung-chiu case forced the administration to retreat, again and again. The process was like flood waters breaching a dike. President Ma must change his "failing to see the forest for the trees" governing style. He must rebuild adminstration morale at the systemic level. He must encourage ministries to exercise initiative. Otherwise his chances of restoring the prestige of his administration during the remainder of the term are slim to none.

If this was a golden era of peace, Ma Ying-jeou's low-keyed, gentlemanly, turn the other cheek manner might be worthy of praise. But today's Taiwan lacks consensus. Its society is divided. Its economy is stagnant. Its system is undergoing transition. Under such conditions the president's low-keyed manner comes across as incompetent. His soft-spoken manner comes across as gutless. His habit of apologizing for everything and "turning the other cheek" make it difficult to uphold the nation's dignity. Put bluntly, President Ma has conflated his personal mannerisms with the duties of a head of state. He may think the former trumps the latter. This has led to government decision-making disasters. Yet he remain utterly oblivious.

President Ma's approval rating has been on the decline for some time. Yet he shows no signs of wanting to turn the tide. Instead, he often displays an "I'm living the dream!" attitude. To the public, these are danger signs. They show that he is out of touch with reality. In recent years, the duties of many administration officials, of cabinet members, have been seriously constrained. For example, the Minister of Economic Affairs appears to have only two tasks: the Number Four Nuclear Power Plant, and TISA. The COA appears to have only one task: dealing with epidemics. New political appointees from academia have been charged with "care for the elderly," a field utterly outside their specialty. Such appointments have upset the government's operational structure. This includes the Presidential Office Secretary-General, whose expertise is in diplomacy. He has no experience in government to party coordination and communication. Never mind such bungled appointments as Lin Yi-shi or Lai Shu-ru. These show what a poor a judge of character Ma is. President Ma must rehabilitate his administration. He must cease using inferior material for the pillars of his edifice. Otherwise, the government's image will be in tatters.

President Ma has gone from yesterday's charismatic leader to today's embattled leader. Part of the problem is the gap between his self image and public perception. He imagines that turning the other cheek will win respect. This is pure self-delusion. He must first repair the broken windows of his own image. He must change his low-key, passive style, and his habit of fixating on trivialities. He must demonstrate the ability to see what is important, to champion what he believes, and to stand his ground when required. Only then can he to motivate his colleagues in the ruling administration to fight on, shoulder to shoulder.

補破窗：唾面自乾的政府無法贏得尊重
【聯合報╱社論】
2013.08.08 03:07 am

短短一個星期，垮掉兩名國防部長，通過一個被批為「草率修法」的軍審法，廿萬人湧上凱道怒吼。馬政府對洪仲丘案的危機處理，越補越漏；令人擔心的已不只是軍心軍紀的流失，而是整個政府是否還能正常運作有效領導台灣？

楊念祖上任僅六日即因抄襲案下台，無論其中涉及的是軍中內鬥或藍綠之爭，都暴露草率任命和輕率去職是馬政府用人的病灶所在。抄襲事件發生多年，近日才被揭發，馬總統及江揆或許無從知曉此事；然而，只要事前多用點心，向熟悉軍中生態的前輩稍稍徵詢，應不致天真到去任命一個連六天都撐不過的文人部長，讓政府形象跟著慘賠。

楊念祖為抄襲案去職，比起高華柱因洪仲丘案下台，兩者究竟孰輕孰重，如今已無從比較。原因是，馬政府目前已經陷於「破窗理論」所描述的惡性循環：在馬總統聲望開始下跌時，整個政府團隊未能及時積極修補；以至於今，一次次的小錯再積累成大錯，乃至什麼人都可以隨便向這個政府丟石頭砸窗子。在動輒得咎的情況下，政府的頹勢將越發難以挽回；而馬政府越難施展，台灣前景也就越不樂觀，這才是真正令人擔心的事。

在一個正常的民主國家，應該是各個部門各司其職，政務官負決策責任，事務官負執行責任，這才是責任政治。今天在台灣，民眾似乎越來越習慣將一切錯誤都歸咎馬總統，這其實未盡公平。問題是，當馬總統也越來越習慣插手任何大小事務，他的分際不明，不僅坐實外界對他的指責，也可能破壞政務官的積極性，損毀了責任政治的基本精神。

最近，有學者批評「內閣閣員像路人」，其中原由，正在於此。總統聲望愈低，閣員愈是喪失鬥志，愈希望和他保持距離；而總統插手非其專業之議題，又導致主事部會無所適從，反而愈容易僨事。在這樣的惡性循環下，政府的表現即越難符合人民期待；洪仲丘案的處理一退再退，有如洪水決堤，就是一個鮮明的例子。如果馬總統不能改變自己「抓小放大」的瑣碎作風，從體制源頭將政府團隊追求作為的士氣激發出來，並鼓勵各部會積極施展，他在剩餘任期想要重振威望的機會只怕極渺茫。

如果是處在承平年代，馬英九的低調、柔軟、溫厚、忍辱負重等風格，可能會是受到讚揚的美德；然而，台灣正處在一個共識破碎、社會分歧、經濟停滯、轉型困難的掙扎年代，總統的低調便顯得無能，柔軟和溫厚便顯得缺乏魄力，而他凡事道歉「唾面自乾」的馬氏修養，卻也常導致政府和國家的榮耀無法維持。說得直接一些，馬總統把「個人修養」和「元首角色」混為一談，甚至將前者看得比後者重要，這一再造成政府決策顛躓的災難，他卻無法自覺。

老實說，馬總統的民意支持度長期低迷，但人們卻看不出他有力挽狂瀾的意圖，甚且常常表現出「自我感覺良好」的態度；在民眾看來，這都是與現實脫節的危險訊號。僅看近年政府團隊的部署，許多閣員的功能都被嚴重單一化，例如：經濟部長彷彿只有核四和服貿溝通兩項任務，農委會窮於對付疫情，新進的學者政委只是為了非其專長的「長照」；這樣的人事任命，都讓政府的運作架構變得單薄失重且失衡。包括總統府祕書長所專長的外交，其實對黨政協調或府院溝通毫無助益；更別提林益世或賴素如的任命，印證了多麼缺乏識人之明。馬總統如果不能好好整建他的團隊班底，劣材竟當成棟樑，政府的決策和形象怎能不百孔千瘡？

馬總統從一個魅力領袖陷入今天的四面楚歌，恐怕和他對自己的角色認知與社會之期待發生嚴重落差有關；以為唾面自乾可以贏得尊重，完全是自欺欺人。他必須先把自己形象的破窗補起來，改變自己低調、無為、瑣碎的作風，展現抓大政、有主張、不畏怯的身段；那樣，才能激勵執政團隊的同僚一起奮發。