Chen makes vow on Control Yuan

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) told the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) National Congress yesterday that he will nominate a non-party candidate to be the next president of the Control Yuan to ensure the impartiality of the government watchdog.

Chen's announcement came amid speculation that DPP Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) would be Chen's choice for the job. It had been rumored that Chang would quit his party official position after yesterday's national congress and await a nomination to the Control Yuan next February.

Addressing the party meeting in Taipei, Chen said "the Control Yuan is an important mirror and the a needed `antiseptic' for the government."

"In order to provide the Control Yuan with the ability to provide impartial and effective monitoring for the government, I declare that I'll nominate a non-DPP candidate for the next Control Yuan president," he said.

High-ranking party sources said yesterday that Chen wants Chang seek the job as Legislative Yuan speaker if the pan-green camp achieves a legislative majority after the year-end elections.

One of Chen's aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president wants Chang to continue leading the DPP in the campaign for the December polls and assist him in implementing reforms for the legislature, in cross-strait relations and in taxation policies.

"President Chen is actually trying to give Chang a far more important task -- to head the legislature. Chang will be nominated as a legislator-at-large would then rejoin the legislature to help Chen push through major constitutional reform policies," the source said.

Chang served six terms as a legislator.

He said yesterday that he would respect Chen's decision to list him at the top of the party's legislator-at-large list and ask him to to vie for the speaker position.

In other developments at the congress meeting yesterday was the election of 30 members to the party's highest administrative body -- the Central Executive Committee (CEC) -- whose members then chose from among themselves the 10 members of the Central Standing Committee.

The two committees work together to implement decisions of the National Congress.

The was fierce competition among factions for committee posts. The three most popular figures -- all seen as possible successors to Chen -- Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Secretary General to the Presidential Office Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) -- mobilize their supporters among the 476 congress representatives to get a committee seat.

Although Yu has been designated by President Chen as a CSC member, he assigned Vice Premier Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) to run for a CSC seat to ensure that his status would remain firm at the party's core level.

Su also did participate in the CSC election in order to meet Chen's request that government officials be neutral to party affairs. Su, however, appointed former director of DPP's Taipei County chapter Tsai Hsien-hao (蔡憲浩) to run for a CSC seat.

Both Yeh and Tsai were elected.

Factional representation in the CSC remained firm. Hsieh, head of Welfare State Alliance, received the highest votes to become the No. 1 member on the committee. The Alliance also became the largest faction, taking four seats.

The New Tide Faction ended up with just two seats, while the Justice Alliance, of which Chen is the former leader, ended up with just one seat. The Green Friendship Alliance, comprised of those who were involved in the democratic Formosa Incident movement, took two seats.