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DPP trio fall on swords over elections

Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) and the ministry's secretary-general Chuang Kuo-jung (莊國榮) yesterday tendered their resignations after fellow Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members blamed them for the party's dismal performance in last Saturday's legislative elections.

Minister of the Government Information Office (GIO) Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉), who doubles as spokesman for the Executive Yuan, also expressed his intention to resign yesterday.

Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) were among those who have criticized Shieh. Yang said Shieh should have been more dignified as Cabinet spokesman and should refrain from "acting like a clown."

"After my name was singled out [to assume responsibility for the election outcome], I feel I have to resign to quell disputes," Shieh said yesterday.

Shieh accompanied President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to Guatemala and Saint Lucia a day after the legislative elections and returned to Taiwan yesterday.

Tu was unavailable for comment yesterday and Chuang was not at work.

However, over the phone, Chuang told reporters that he was not stepping down because of the election results but rather out of "solidarity with the minister."

Chuang said he wanted to quit his post immediately after the legislative election but the minister did not have time to discuss the matter until Tuesday.

Chuang told reporters that he needed time and space to ponder what his next move would be.

He had been seconded from National Chengchi University since August where he teaches at the Department of Public Administration. Chuang was scheduled to resume his teaching career on May 19, just before the new administration is sworn in.

Members of pro-independence groups scheduled a visit to the GIO office to show solidarity with Shieh yesterday, who told them that he had informed President Chen, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) and Vice Premier Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) of his intention to resign.

Responding to the critique that he had behaved like a clown, Shieh said he was merely highlighting the problems of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) stolen assets in his own way.

"Taiwan can't just have sadness and politics. It also needs literature. I made appeals to the public in an alternative way, but some people considered me a clown," Shieh said.

Chang refused to comment on the matter, saying that he fully respected President Chen's authority to reshuffle government personnel.

Cabinet Secretary-General Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) said that there would not be a major Cabinet reshuffle.
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