President Ma Ying-jeou will be halfway through his four-year term on May 20. The first half of his term has not been easy, and the second is expected to be bumpy and fraught with challenges. In a speech on May 20, Ma will give details of his vision for a 'golden decade,' based on a 10-year development plan that is reportedly being drafted by the Council for Economic Planning and Development. We are pleased that the head of state has a vision for the country, but too many of the government's visions in the last decade have turned out to be nothing more than a pie in the sky, or old wine in new bottles that are gathering dust in the government's storeroom. We are fed up with these visions and cannot figure out why President Ma will indulge in this old trick. It has been reported that Ma's golden decade is nothing more than his plans to cope with issues that have badgered the country in the last few years and have already been discussed in various conferences many times. We cannot understand why they should be repeated under a new name. The administration's efficiency in churning out visions makes Taiwan the regional center of visions. We believe the president's job during the remainder of his term should be carrying out his current policies rather than mapping out new visions. We are not playing down the importance of visions, but we believe actions are more important than talk. We do not really expect a Cabinet that changes its cast so frequently to come up any creative visions for the country, but why should it waste time drafting plans that will only end up in the trash a few years later. In the absence of courage to address problems facing the country, the golden decade will be nothing more than a euphemism for a stagnant decade. (May 17, 2010) 