Ahead of his swearing-in ceremony today, premier-designate Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday urged his Cabinet to accomplish the tasks set by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) before his term ends.
"There is only one year until the president's term of office expires. It's a race against time ... to fulfill the missions commissioned by the president. The Cabinet is in place and will start work without delay," Chang said.
Chang was appointed by Chen as the new premier last Monday to succeed outgoing premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) after Su submitted his resignation on May 12.
Chang yesterday vowed that his team would achieve the five directives the president put forward upon appointing him as premier.
The five directives are: Promoting a Taiwan-centric consciousness and social justice; securing development with an environmental protection mindset; promoting what is beneficial and abolishing of what is harmful; safeguarding central and southern regions, the middle and lower-echelons of society, and small and medium-sized enterprises; and running the government humbly but consolidating Taiwan's power.
Chang lauded Su for leading the Cabinet to perform commendably over the past year, lowering the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent, achieving economic growth of 4.6 percent, enabling the stock market to return to the 8,000-point level, and promoting the "Mega Investment" and "Mega Warmth" campaigns to boost domestic investment and social reconstruction
Chang has finished assembling his Cabinet team, with the exception of the minister of the Environmental Protection Administration and two ministers without portfolio, who have yet to be named.
He is expected to visit Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) today.
Restating that he would lead the new Cabinet under the motto: "Cooperation is better than opposition, building a nest is better than building a wall," Chang said he hoped the legislature would support the new Cabinet.
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