Denying rumors of a rift, Presidential Office secretary-general-designate Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) and deputy secretary-general-designate Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) yesterday vowed to stand by president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) when he takes over the reins of government on May 20.
Ma announced late on Friday night the appointment of Chan and Yeh after his top aide Steve Chan (詹啟賢), rumored to be a leading candidate for the post of secretary-general, declared that he would not join Ma’s administration on Thursday, sparking concerns over infighting in the Ma camp and the president-elect’s ability to handle personnel issues.
Yeh, a former Taipei deputy mayor, received Ma’s call on Thursday night soon after Steve Chan’s announcement, while Chan Chun-po, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman and Ma’s campaign director, received Ma’s call yesterday morning.
Chan Chun-po, who met Yeh yesterday morning at KMT headquarters to discuss the transfer of power and their future responsibilities, denied rumors of internal conflict in the Ma camp.
“Some of the campaign team members do hold different views, but as a campaign director, I think I did a good job negotiating duties and coordinating their roles,” Chan Chun-po said.
Chan Chun-po, who also serves as convener of the power transfer team, said his priority now was to prepare for the power transfer and presidential inauguration next month.
A 67-year-old ethnic Taiwanese who had served as Ma’s campaign director since Ma first ran for Taipei mayor in 1998, Chan Chun-po is a familiar figure to KMT grassroots supporters and local cliques.
Yeh, 58, is a school friend of Ma from Taipei Jianguo High School and won recognition during the SARS outbreak in Taipei in 2003 with his expertise on health matters.
Yeh joined the KMT primary for the Taipei mayoral election in 2006, but later withdrew from the race after failing to receive Ma’s endorsement. He went on to teach public health at Tzu Chi University in Hualien.
Aside from Chan and Yeh, Ma has only two other confirmed Cabinet members — premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) and Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤).
KMT caucus acting secretary-general Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) yesterday urged Ma and Liu to release the full Cabinet lineup as soon as possible to stabilize the political situation and stop further speculation on the issue.
“The guessing game about the Cabinet lineup will not stop if they don’t announce the list. The caucus is hoping to meet with new Cabinet members as soon as possible,” he said.
Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), spokesman for Ma, said yesterday that Liu would announce the Cabinet lineup tomorrow at the earliest.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
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