Some advice for the new Cabinet

But, why was this episode conspicuously reported by some of the local media this time? It was because Ma had made such blunders so often and so inexplicably in recent days that this led to widespread concern about his physical and mental conditions. Some observers questioned whether he was suffering from fatigue as a result of overwork, while others suspected he was handicapped by certain speech problems.

As a matter of fact, quite a few Cabinet members under Premier Liu were prone to make “small” but stupid public gaffes, particularly at a time when they were busy tackling the disastrous floods that occurred in the wake of Typhoon Morakot in early August, so much so that their misbehavior led to strong public cries for their resignation.

About 2,000 years ago, during the Period of Three Kingdoms in Chinese history, Emperor Liu Pei realized the significance of “small things” when he admonished his offspring “not to do misdeeds because they are small and not to shun doing good deeds because they are small.”

Numerous small things have the potential to yield great effect when they add together.

There was no secret that most members of the deposed Liu Cabinet never conceded that their overall job performance was so shabby and their gaffes so serious that they would be forced out en masse.

Their attitude was justified to some extent. But, what they did not recognize was that the cumulative effect of their “small” faults marked by increasing frequency of faults and dire stupidity totally unfit for their official positions could produce a negative image with far-reaching implications for the Ma administration.

In a modern democracy like Taiwan where the president is popularly elected, public perception can make or break a government.

In fact, a certain minister under Premier Liu was well-known for his dedication and expertise, but since he was nominated to the Cabinet post more than a year ago, he had made a series of blunders to the point that people could not help harboring grave doubts about his competence as a top official in terms of his knowledge about his job as well as his understanding of the overall cultural and political environment in Taiwan.

Therefore, the first critical lesson the Wu Cabinet ought to learn from its predecessor is to do its best to avoid making frequent “small” mistakes in public, which, over time, will gradually and surely undermine the credibility of the government. All high government officials must think clearly and thoroughly before making any statements and moves.

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