Taiwan: Hot Politics Vs Cold Economy

At the turn of late autumn to early winter, there have been snowflakes in north China where trees are covered by ice and frost; whereas Taiwan on the southeast corner still sees a scene of verdant trees, breeze and drizzles, mild and pleasant weather. That is the climatic phenomenon of Nature.

However, this time the correspondents who recently came to Taiwan got another kind of scene in Taiwan society-high temperature and chilly cold, now cold and now hot, it was really hard to endure this pincer attack. We don't know how can the common local people endure such a phenomenon.

Taiwan is very hot in the sense of political climate.

Currently, it is the election "hot season" on the Island. At the end of the year, it will be the count down time for the election of "legislative member" and heads of counties and cities. The coming election concerns the reorganization of Taiwan's future political ecology. Some parties try their might and main in order to defeat their opponents, playing every possible trick, throwing mud at, slandering and abusing each other, with saliva spraying right and left, presenting a lively atmosphere. However, in such an atmosphere, the public have doubts: Where is "beef" (political views)? They asked

Taiwan is also very cold, this refers to economic prosperity.

Contrary to the warming up election, Taiwan's economic indexes are too "cold" to look at. On November 3, related sources disclosed that the latest estimation result by the Taiwan Economic Research Institute shows the rate of economic recession this year will expand to 1.79 percent, so far the lowest value made by an institution on the Island. Earlier, the various economic statistics published by departments concerned, such as import and export trade, external sales orders, the production manufacturing industry, unemployment rate, as well as the signal lamp of countermeasures for economic booming. The statistics show either a new record of economic depression is set, or a blue lamp showing booming recession has kept emerging.

It is amid the suffering of "cold" and Hot", the Taiwan people are anxious, angry and uneasy.

While the politicians campaigning for election and spraying saliva, the Taiwan people are anxious about their basic means of subsistence and livelihood. The public want to get answers to the following questions: When will the high unemployment rate fall? When will the sluggish economy be revived? And how can the cross-Strait relations be improved?

A recent poll conducted in the Island shows that 80 percent of the people strongly resent the means of throwing mud at, and abusing each other used in the election, the public hope in the "beef" presented by the candidates, economic revival will be listed number one as prime importance.

Now it is less than one month before the voting day, the "saliva war" featuring slandering and abusing each other between political parties and candidates tends to become fiercer.

Worthy of note is that the political "saliva" cannot save the depressing Taiwan economy, but instead, it will possibly dash the hope and dampen the confidence of the public.



By People's Daily Online


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