The pan-blue opposition yesterday demanded that Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (
"Of course it would be easy to quit now, but that wouldn't solve the problem," she said. "The most important thing right now is to get the water back on. I promise I will not remain in my position if I am found to be responsible and cannot meet a new timetable."
Ho's remarks drew a round of applause from Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers, who had invited her and Water Resources Agency Director-General Chen Shen-hsien (
PHOTO: HSIEH WU-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Throwing his backing behind Ho, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip William Lai (
"Everybody should just shut up and help the government solve the problem," he said.
After yesterday's briefing, Chen confirmed that he had offered his resignation in person to his superviser, Ho, in the morning, but was asked to stay in his post.
Chen revealed that it was not the minister's fault that Premier Frank Hsieh (
With Taoyuan County Commissioner Chu Li-lun (朱立倫) looking on, Hsieh yesterday apologized to county residents for making an empty promise during an inspection trip to Shihmen Dam (石門水庫).
Chu asked the premier to pressure the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Water Resources Agency and Taiwan Water Supply Corp tell the county exactly when they can expect the water supply to be fully restored. He also asked the national government to fix the county's regular water supply problems, which usually occur in the wake of a typhoon.
Upset by the premier's false promise, opposition People First Party (PFP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucuses yesterday jointly requested the resignations of Hsieh and Ho.
"The premier should step down for making defamatory remarks about Chu, who speaks up for his residents and asks for help from the government," said KMT caucus whip Cho Po-yuan (
KMT Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (
Chin Hui-chu (
She also said that Chu might want to give up his plan to ask the government to include Taoyuan in the eight-year flood-fighting package, because the root of the county's water supply problem is not a lack of money, but rather the government's incompetence and inefficiency.
Yang Wei-fu (
also see story:
Anger mounts as water woes continue
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
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