The Youngest Cabinet Officer: Ma Ying-jeou

Thirty-eight, tall and handsome, from Hengshan in Hunan province, Ma Ying-jeou is a man of many hats. He is Chairman of the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan, Convener of a Work Committee of the National Security Council, Executive Secretary of the Mainland Affairs Council, and a professor in law and international trade at National Chengchi University. Although busy, Ma appears calm and graceful in public, which he credits to his daily morning run. "When you work out, your muscles are tight but your brain is clear. I like the feeling of greeting the morning sun running."

Ma got his B.A. from the National Taiwan University Department of Law, an M.A. in International Legal Studies from NYU, and a Ph.D. in the same subject from Harvard. Since returning seven years ago, he has authored several books and articles.

Ma was a celebrity even in college. As a junior he won a State Department grant to go to the U.S., participated in protests over the Tiao-yu Islands and against Japanese recognition of Peking, and, at Harvard, won wide attention as editor of an anti-leftist publication.

Returning to the R.O.C. in 1981, Ma went to work in the Presidential Office and soon became English Secretary to President Chiang Ching-kuo. He was 31. At that time, he intentionally kept a low profile. Only in 1984, after becoming Deputy Secretary General of the KMT Central Committee did he begin to appear often.

Ma has been central in promoting "party diplomacy" (links between the KMT and countries and parties abroad), and played an important role in the decisions to end martial law, lift the ban on parties, and other political reform. He participated in the legislative process for new laws governing national security, private organizations, and on assembly and demonstrations. In many areas, Ma's relatively liberal suggestions have carried great weight.

Here are excerpts of an interview granted to Sinorama.

Q: What is your main work at the RDEC?

A: It may be divided into five important points: First, there is research, subcontracted to scholars or done ourselves.... Another important responsibility is public opinion polls. We have done seven since 1978. Second is planning. We make and review annual plans of the Executive Yuan or medium to long-term plans of the ministries. For any government program, you can't just go on hunches; it requires strict planning. Third is monitoring and evaluation. After planning is complete, implementation begins. We follow up and monitor and evaluate... especially for non-economic planning like education, social welfare, etc. Fourth is information processing. We hope to raise administrative efficiency by developing a national information administration system. Fifth is publishing. We have a lot of research reports to publish.... In mid-June we established a sales center for publications by government offices.

Q: Please talk about your participation in parliamentary reform and current progress.

A: Since the decisions passed by the Central Committee on February 3 of this year, we have taken three main directions. First is to eliminate the regulations on replacing members of the National Assembly. Second is to set retirement regulations... By next year there will likely be a basis for senior legislators to retire. The fundamental spirit is to respect their wishes, affirm their contributions, maintain their esteem, and secure their retired life. Third is filling in. The National Security Council currently has two committees working on setting the method to get supplementary people's representatives. The work committee [of which Ma is one of two conveners] is the staff for the specialized committee.

Today, the direction is more clear. It is estimated that the number of supplementary seats in the National Assembly will increase to 375, starting from the 1992 elections. The Legislative Yuan will go to 150; currently there are 100, it is estimated that next year it will go to 126. The Control Yuan will have 54; it hasn't been decided if any will be elected next year--if there are there will be 22.

Remaining are problems of representation from women's and overseas Chinese groups; I believe these will quickly be decided. Generally speaking, there has been no slackening of the pace. Personally, I am only participating in the "planning for increasing the number of people's representatives."

Q: Could you talk about the current work of the Mainland Affairs Council?

A: There have been two main decisions: One was to agree to allow three scholars to go to Peking to attend the conference of the International Council of Scientific Unions. The second was to approve rules for mainland compatriots to apply to come to Taiwan to visit the sick or pay respects to the dead. [See this month's "Communications Channels".]

Q: You kept a low profile at the Presidential Office; why have you become more visible in party posts?

A: This has been determined by the nature of the work. In the Presidential Office the work was quiet staff duties. Party work is basically "mass" work, and one can't avoid meeting the public. Because I am responsible for ties with friendly parties overseas, it is necessary to often greet visitors or go abroad, which is relatively high-profile work, so naturally there has been some change.... Also, with political reform, the Kuomintang has become the center of national, even world attention... I have unavoidably had the responsibility of doing many briefings... Of course I am happy to communicate with others.

Q: As party Deputy Secretary General you strongly promoted "party diplomacy." Please comment on your concept.

A: I have always believed that international relations, at heart, are interpersonal relations. To make friends with a political party means to make friends with its members. If these are key people it will naturally influence the attitude of the party toward you. I have spent a lot of time making friends.

Q: How do you "sell" the Kuomintang?

A: The first thing is sincerity; only then will people believe you. Second is in introducing the "product," you talk about the good and bad points and give your counterpart complete information. If you hide the weak points, if one day they are discovered, afterwards no one will believe you. When I introduce our country I also introduce its weaknesses. What is to be feared is not the shortcoming, but rather the unwillingness to face it.

Once a foreign reporter asked me, "If you open up this way, will the Kuomintang become the opposition party?" I laughed and replied, "For a party to govern it must rely on the decision of the voters. If you can't get more than fifty percent of the votes, then you can't think about governing!" In fact, four of this province's 21 counties and cities have non-KMT executives. There the Kuomintang is in effect equivalent to the opposition party.

[Ma closed with the following comment:]

For problems to appear is not bad; what is important is to face the problems.... This is the relatively healthy attitude. That one can only solve problems when one faces them is the underlying guiding theme of the current stage of political reform.

[Picture Caption]

Thirty-eight-year-old Ma Ying-jeou is the youngest member of the new cabinet.

Ma served for six years as English secretary to former President Chiang Ching-kuo, a period Ma believes was extremely beneficial to him. (photo by Li Pei-hui)

Running in marathons is Ma's one pastime in his busy life.

(Above) Ma participated in a Legislative Yuan session for the first time in his new capacity as a cabinet officer on September 20. At left in the photo is Shaw Yu-ming, Director General of the Government Information Office. (photo by Li Pei-hui)

(Below) Ma speaking during the ceremony in which he received the office of Chairman of the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan from his predecessor.

Ma served for six years as English secretary to former President Chiang Ching-kuo, a period Ma believes was extremely beneficial to him. （photo by Li Pei-hui）

Running in marathons is Ma's one pastime in his busy life.

（Above） Ma participated in a Legislative Yuan session for the first time in his new capacity as a cabinet officer on September 20. At left in the photo is Shaw Yu-ming, Director General of the Government Information Office. （photo by Li Pei-hui）

（Below） Ma speaking during the ceremony in which he received the office of Chairman of the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan from his predecessor.