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New premier plans Cabinet shakeup

Former premier Su Tseng-chang and his wife wave to the members of Su's Cabinet at a farewell party at the Executive Yuan yesterday. PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES

With just a little more than a year left in President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) term, premier-designate Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) announced a Cabinet shakeup that will see new faces in dozens of key government posts.

Chang announced yesterday his selections for the Cabinet, naming Air Force General Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) as the new minister of national defense, replacing Lee Jye (李傑), who will retire.

Lee Tien-yu is a former chief of the general staff who stepped down on Feb. 1 to become a presidential adviser. On becoming defense minister, he will have to resign his generalship -- a lifetime position -- in accordance with the law, which mandates that no serving officer can hold the top post in the defense ministry, to ensure civilian control of the military.

Meanwhile, the country's representative to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), will be appointed minister of the Government Information Office, a release stated. Shieh will succeed Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦), who resigned last month.

swearing in

The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday, when Chang is formally appointed premier.

Sources said that Chang met yesterday morning with Lee Tien-yu, who accepted the appointment as defense minister.

Chang also obtained Shieh's consent earlier the same day regarding his new appointment.

Outgoing Presidential Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) was questioned by the media as to why the president had again chosen a career military officer as national defense minister, despite having earlier pledged to maintain civilian control of the military.

Chiou said the appointment "was made on the basis of political stabilization, tense relations between the pan-blue and the pan-green camps, and the ministry's missions in the coming year."

Chiou has been apppointed as the new vice premier and Trans-portation and Communications Deputy Minister Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) as the next Executive Yuan secretary-general in Cabinet appointments announced on Monday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳), Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting Statistics Director-General Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤) and Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission Minister Chang Fu-mei (張富美) will remain in their posts, the statement said.

Other officials staying in their posts include Central Personnel Administration Minister Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲), Coast Guard Administration Director Wang Chin-wang (王進旺) and Veterans Affairs Commission Minister Hu Chen-pu (胡鎮埔), it added.

Chang, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), was appointed by Chen Shui-bian as the new premier on Monday to succeed Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who submitted his resignation on May 12, one week after he lost the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary to his predecessor, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷).

Chang Chun-hsiung will quit his SEF post upon assuming the premiership.

farewell to Su

In related news, outgoing premier Su became emotional as more than 100 Cabinet members and their staff gathered at the Executive Yuan's lobby yesterday afternoon and threw him a farewell party.

"I must say I apologize to you guys, since many of you also lost your jobs because of me," Su said. "This was not my intention."

Chan Chun-yen (詹俊彥), one of Su's secretaries, played the guitar and led everybody in singing Destiny, a song DPP Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) had written for Su.

Su said it was time for him to leave, but he would return with more fresh ideas to serve the people in the future.

additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan

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