Over the past year, Taiwan has seemingly been living in two contradictory worlds. On the one hand, the stock market has rallied on increased capital infusion by foreign institutional investors due to their resumed confidence in Taiwan's economic prospects because of the improved relations with China. On the other, however, President Ma Ying-jeou's approval ratings have dropped to one record low after another, while his administration has come under fire for nearly every measure it has taken. Is Taiwan as bad as Ma's critics and detractors have portrayed? Perhaps their comments could serve as an alarm or reminder to prevent self-complacency. However, if criticism goes overboard, it could impair the administration's confidence and even undermine Taiwan's capacity to move forward. With the global financial downturn hitting hard in 2009, Taiwan has endured many challenges. Many people in the Ma administration have done their best and while there might still be room for improvement, they deserve recognition for their efforts to stabilize the economy during such a trying time. As a matter of fact, Taiwan fared fairly well in 2009 and could even be praised as one of Asia's development models. The stock market surged nearly 80 percent and closed at the year's highest level of 8,188.11 points. The overall economic monitoring indicator also flashed a 'yellow-red' light in November to signal that the economy is heating up. These are remarkable achievements and after all, the president, other politicians and civil servants are only human, and need encouragement and recognition. Giving them praise and blessings will inspire them to work even harder and generate a positive cycle of development. If we 'bless instead of bash the government,' the country's prospects will be even brighter in 2010. 