Editorial: Chen's reshuffle stacks the deck

The 2004 presidential election is more than a year away, but it already appears to be the most important item on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) political timetable.

On Tuesday, the Presidential Office announced a surprise reshuffle of several officials in the National Security Council, Ministry of National Defense, the Veterans Affairs Commission and in the Presidential Office itself. The election campaign bugle has been sounded and the campaigners are in position. Chen's re-election campaign has begun.

The most important spot in this round of reshuffling was that of the Presidential Office secretary-general. Chen has appointed Chiou I-jen (邱義仁), who was his campaign general manager in the 2000 election, to that position.

Chiou has ample experience from his stints as secretary-general of three important institutions -- the DPP, the Executive Yuan and the National Security Council. With his all-round political experience and his status as a leader of the DPP's New Tide faction, Chiou suits his new post very well. He will coordinate the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan and the DPP to score a good performance for Chen in the final year of his presidential term. He will also co-ordinate the campaign for Chen's re-election.

The outgoing secretary-general, Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟) -- a man known as a "politician who looks the least like a politician" -- served only one year. He is trusted by the president, but his candid personality has been a serious disadvantage at the post, which requires coordinating the different government agencies and the DPP. Clearly he had been placed in the wrong position, as evidenced by the aborted inter-party summit and the Legislative Yuan's declaration of him as persona non grata.

His new position as president of the DPP's Ketagalan Academy -- which will be established after the Lunar New Year -- is quite suitable. The academy is designed to serve as another interface -- outside the government and the party -- that can bring together the social elite and act as a platform for communication between the DPP and society. It will also be a private think tank charged with policy formulation and propagating the party's ideas. In addition, it will be a school where the DPP will groom its talent.

Chiou's transfer triggered a reshuffle in the national security network. Vice Minister of National Defense Kang Ning-hsiang (康寧祥) is to take over the National Security Council. His appointment is a positive one, given his seniority in the opposition movement during the KMT era, his experience in defense and diplomatic matters, and the familiarity and trust that Washington has placed in him.

Replacing Kang with Lin Chong-Pin (林中斌) is a move to relieve the pressure on Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) and stabilize morale within the military. Lin has extensive connections at US think tanks and a good understanding of China's political warfare strategies. His appointment as vice defense minister is therefore appropriate.

Chen's government has not been able to perform well because of a lack of experience and talent, as well as poor communication and resulting frictions within the government. If he wants to win a second term, Chen must make an all-out effort to score a good performance this year.

He has taken a first step with the personnel reshuffle. However, the Executive Yuan also needs to readjust its personnel and policies, especially in the areas of finance and economics -- the areas in which the government has been the weakest. Without a presentable track record in the last year of his term, Chen's re-election bid will be a hard road to travel.