Rags and Riches

Deng Xiaoping had once mentioned that a small fraction of the population needs to be rich before the rest can be better off. Following such rhetoric, leaders such as Suharto and Peru's Fujimori have succeeded to a fair extent, but cronyism and corruption may indeed blur the distinction between national reserves and personal coffers. In any case, an economic disparity may seem like a social injustice, but it allows a domestic economic base to be built up and acted upon by the less affluent citizens in the long run, instead of exposing the whole population to the poverty cycle. However, if the income inequality gap continues to widen at the growing expense of the poor for decades, then it cannot be justified and ought to be eliminated. Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe (infamous for its 1-million % hyper-inflation rate) belong to this undesirable category, alongside with the failed states of Afganistan and Somalia.

I was in Taiwan in 2006, and although the island has been experiencing an economic downturn for the past 8 years, I did not see a significant drop in the Taiwanese standard of living. Conventional media coverage has always sensationalized Taiwanese politics, making Taiwan seem like a haven of chaos and mess. In actual fact, Taiwan has operated on a term which I coin “乱中有序”. The politicians may be fighting with their guts out, but the bureaucrats are still performing at the implementation level.

On a sentimental note, I like Taiwan. I dedicate this blog to it.