ROC President Ma Ying-jeou recently called for more public support to revitalize the economy, and asked former Vice President Vincent C. Siew to convene a private sector task force to smooth the way for Taiwan’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Establishment of this task force, which will draw on businesspeople, academics, and leaders from civil society and the political sphere, is a turning point in the nation’s efforts to participate in regional integration. The task force will transform the job of internationalization from an exclusively government responsibility into a movement that involves the general public, making it key to extricating Taiwan from the economic doldrums.
Although Siew retired for health reasons, he is still willing to do his best for the nation no doubt because he is aware of the crucial importance of joining in regional integration to Taiwan’s future economic development. But Taiwan’s participation in such integration is extremely complicated and will require the full backing of the people before the consensus necessary to success can be achieved.
Siew has the requisite political experience, understanding of the workings of government, international trade expertise, and extensive foreign connections. He also has friends in civil society of all political hues, which will enable him to gather forces from all sectors of society. There is no one in Taiwan better suited to this job.
Ma previously said that joining the TPP and RCEP is a matter of life and death for Taiwan’s economy, and that the government’s preparatory work must be completed by the end of February, with a fully worked-out plan ready by the end of July. But it is not enough to merely rely on the government to do the work. The opposition and business world must be involved for the process to go smoothly. It is thus expected that such a task force would be formed at the earliest possible date.
However, if the goal of international participation in regional integration is to be achieved through combining domestic social forces and creating consensus, some facets require special attention. Otherwise, given Taiwan’s complex domestic political and economic climate, the task force could result in all talk and little action, disappointing an expectant public.
The division of labor between the task force and government departments must first be clear and pragmatic. As the task force belongs to the private sector, it can perform various tasks that government bodies cannot easily perform. Conversely, there are some tasks that are easier for government bodies to execute. Although Siew has long experience of public office, he must still be realistic and communicate fully with the government to avoid creating confusion, contradictions or doubling of roles.
Recruitment of people with experience in this field must be made across party lines for the task force to be truly representative, credible and effective. This is one of the biggest challenges, given Taiwan’s current political climate. Because of the intense Blue-Green conflict, important opposition figures are unwilling to join any group that has overt government tones to avoid any negative impact on them. But if no opposition heavyweights take part in what is labeled a civil society movement, it will be very difficult for government proposals to earn support across the board. Unless the task force can broaden participation by including those of different political backgrounds with relevant expertise, it will be very hard to achieve any kind of social consensus.
The scope of the private sector task force should be broad enough to cover all necessary aspects of international participation. If the task force wants to help the government adequately participate in regional economic integration, it must garner support from at least the following four groups of people: business leaders, as they will be able to offer sufficient resources and proper advice about what is needed; a pool of well-connected people to win timely backing from international society; important political figures across parties, so communication between the government and opposition will be effective; and leading academics, as they will provide access to academic insights independent of undue influence by industry or vested interests.
Finally, the task force must be fully resourced, an aspect which is often neglected in Taiwan. Without adequate funding and support, it will be difficult to conduct international canvassing, as well as consultation and research. The cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice, as the saying goes. With Siew at its head, it is expected that the task force will be able to overcome these barriers and accomplish its mission. (SDH)
(This commentary first appeared in the Economic Daily News Jan. 19, 2014.)