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A right to know how money’s spent
By Hsu Yu-fang 許又方
When media commentator Sisy Chen (陳文茜) expressed her view of the Taipei
International Flora Expo in her weekly Apple Daily column, she brought up a few
issues worthy of further discussion. The main thrust of her argument seems to be
that excessive political interference in the expo has sullied an artistic event
that could have brought a lot of positive attention to Taiwan, while at the same
time hurting a lot of artists and engineers who have worked very hard to make
the expo a success.
While Chen’s article may be reasonable and based on the evidence, I have a
slightly different point of view, looking at the issue from the perspective of a
member of the general public.
Regardless of whether it is used to highlight political achievements or to
accuse political rivals of incompetence, the expo has been politicized to an
extent that some may find excessive.
However, manipulation of the expo by politicians is one thing, whereas public
concern over whether the expo is riddled with clums y irregularities that have
wasted taxpayers’ hard earned money is another entirely.
Naturally, we all hope that the flower show will be a wonderful success that
will give people around the world a great impression of Taiwan, but a successful
event does not imply that there are not any shortcomings that need to be
followed up on, nor does it mean that the general public should not question
problematic details.
After all, every penny spent on the expo comes from the public’s hard-earned
wages, so everyone has the right and duty to keep a close eye on how it is used
and what the Taipei City Government is doing.
For example, why did it cost NT$88 million (US$2.85 million) to build five
floral barges with old engines that have been in use for 20 years, when a
Taiwanese boat builder whose luxury yachts are famous around the world estimated
that he could supply similar floral boats for NT$2 million to NT$3 million each?
Why did bamboo latticework huts used for rest stops, which the designer claims
are “works of art,” cost NT$350,000, when they could have been made for between
NT$120,000 and NT$150,000, according to one manufacturer? If the same thing can
be bought at a lower price, why did the city government department responsible
decline to do so? Was there some kind of special consideration?
The government is duty bound to respond to these and other questions and to
explain to taxpayers how purchasing decisions were made, rather than having
media pundits and businesspeople fend off the public’s queries.
Another odd thing is that Chen said this expo is the least expensive in history,
while according to figures publicized by the Democratic Progressive Party, it is
the most expensive ever. Who is right? I think everyone in Taiwan would like to
know.
Let me repeat that what politicians and media pundits whose political leanings
are well known think about the expo is quite a different matter from ordinary
people’s expectation that the government should give a clear account of how
their taxes have been spent to ensure there has been no waste.
Whether the expo is successful and whether there are any shortcomings in the way
it is run are also two quite separate questions. It’s unreasonable to say that
anyone who queries the purchase price of certain items is against the expo
altogether, or trying to disrupt it.
When President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) says that attacking the expo is tantamount to
undermining Taiwan, I, as a taxpayer, cannot agree. So many public construction
projects over the years have wasted public funds. Who knows how many
disadvantaged people would have been better off if that money had been used for
their benefit instead.
If we, the public, do not keep a close eye on the government, it will give
dishonest people the chance to line their own pockets. That would undermine
Taiwan far more and for much longer than any negative comments about the flora
expo.
Hsu Yu-fang is associate professor at National Dong Hwa
University’s department of Sinophone literatures.
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