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Updated Wednesday, November 11, 2009 9:29 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Re-examining 'fact-finding' tours

There is much the Taiwan government can learn from visiting and communicating with other governments, but even those inclined to generally trust the honesty of local elected officials have trouble not raising their eyebrows when they hear the itineraries some of these “fact finding” missions. Over the past several years the media has revealed stories of local heads of government visiting various international destinations.

One enthusiastic traveler was former Taitung magistrate Kuang Lih-cheng. Taitung County, much like Nantou, is not a rich area. Taitung has been reported to be as much as NT$6 billion in debt but somehow, former magistrate Kuang managed to find funds for eight “business and fact finding” trips to destinations such as Greece, Egypt, Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong. The price tag for these visits was at least NT$2 million, a sum her county could certainly have put to better use. So far there have been few reported specific tangible benefits to Taitung's tourism industry as a result of these adventures. Kuang may have taken it all too far last year when she went ahead on a planned 13-day junket to Europe, just as a typhoon was scheduled to hit her home county. Kuang has since resigned as magistrate, but looks set to win an election again - this time as a legislator from Taitung.

Taiwan is not currently flush with cash. There are a plethora of issues facing this nation, all of which demand funds. Taiwan's residents - if given a choice - would likely not vote in favor of “fact-finding” trips that are very possibly being used as unofficial vacations for government officials. Granted, there are valid fact-finding missions and an outright ban is not the answer; the solution is greater accountability and transparency.

A government-approved, taxpayer-funded journey should be a well thought-out matter that is open to public scrutiny. The people included on such trips need to be the right people - those who know what they are looking for and how to properly process the information they receive. Professional translators and guides should be included so that the questions officials ask can be adequately answered.

And finally, such tours need to follow basic logic. A trip to Switzerland - a mountain vacation paradise — might have been a better “fact-finding” mission if the genuine reason for the journey was to assist Nantou develop its tourism industry.

It can be difficult for the taxpaying public to fully understand the whys and wherefores of an official trip and the public isn't given a veto. This means an even greater burden falls on the shoulders of our elected officials to ensure that each and every overseas trip is really necessary and truly in the interests of Taiwan's people.

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