Pres. Ma's popularity crucial to his success

There is no doubt that although Ma's popularity ratings appear to be rallying in recent days, he has been steadily and precipitously losing public support from the time when he scored an overwhelming victory in the 2008 presidential election.

True, politicians in all countries often witness the waning of public enthusiasm after elections. In a news analysis published in The New York Times on November 10, Peter Baker summed up the first year of Barack Obama's presidency in these words: “The hope and hubris have given way to the daily grind of governance.”

He quoted Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman, as saying that the American president “has learned that governing is harder than campaigning — and he's learned it with a vengeance.” Hence, Obama is not so popular with Americans today as when he was elected U.S. president a year ago. But, even so, according to polls, he still enjoys the support of the majority of the American people.

A local newspaper pointed out that in the one and a half years as the ruler of Taiwan, Ma has fast “walked down from the altar” that he once occupied before the presidential election. In fact, this development in a way conforms to the spirit of democratic politics, the paper said.

There is certain truth in this comment. But, just because of the practice of democracy, Taiwan needs a popularly elected supreme leader with a solid mandate from the public to successfully implement his policies. Therefore, Ma must have a credible job approval rating, say, about 50 percent, in order to be able to carry out a thorough reform of the country as he has promised and as the general public has anticipated.

To achieve the aforesaid goal, Ma must work hard to regain public trust by doing the following:

1. He must strive for a few more accomplishments that win nationwide acclaim, aside from the distribution of the NT$3,600 vouchers to all residents in Taiwan, to boost the standing of his government in the eyes of the people.

2. He must enhance the public perception about his administrative ability by recruiting competent and moral people to work for the government and by demonstrating his willingness, wisdom and decisiveness in tackling important issues.

3. He must regain his power of oratory as a potent force to display leadership. He and other high government officials must do all they can to avoid their frequent slips of tone in public, which may not be considered serious mistakes separately, but when added up over time, the damage to him and the government's credibility will be enormous.

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