Premier-designate Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday that his Cabinet members would be announced tomorrow because Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) will lead his Cabinet in resigning that day.
Wu met President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Monday night to discuss the Cabinet reshuffle shortly after the Presidential Office announced his appointment. He continued finalizing names yesterday with vice premier-designate, Taoyuan County Commissioner Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Wu said that Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛), Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄), Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) and Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) would keep their portfolios.
“The Cabinet list is nearly complete and I will give a report to President Ma tomorrow as I need to consult him and finalize the list,” he said.
Vice Minister of the Interior Lin Join-sane (林中森) visited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters yesterday morning to meet Wu, and said later that he would serve as secretary-general of the Executive Yuan, replacing Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川).
“I accepted the future premier’s invitation to take over the position ... I understand the importance of this position and I am willing to take on the challenge,” he said.
Lin, who served as deputy mayor of Kaohsiung when Wu was the city’s mayor, said Wu trusted his ability in handling the aftermath of the 921 Earthquake 10 years ago and Typhoon Morakot last month, and he agreed to join the Cabinet to assist Wu with the post-Morakot reconstruction work.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) and Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Chang Jen-hsiang (章仁香) are expected to lose their posts because of their slow response to the Morakot disaster.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) confirmed that Presidential Office Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) would replace Wu Den-yih as KMT secretary-general and that a hand-over ceremony would be held this afternoon.
Wu Den-yih said yesterday that flood control and soil conservation in mountainous areas would be his Cabinet’s top priority. Wu made the remark during a KMT meeting, said Lee Chien-jung (李建榮), head of the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee.
“The new Cabinet will prioritize flood control and soil conservation to effectively protect people’s lives and property,” Lee quoted Wu as saying.
He said Wu stressed that river dredging and cleaning of sewer systems must be done in the dry season to help avoid rainy season floods and said the new Cabinet will step up the pace of the rehabilitation of typhoon victims.
Meanwhile, Chu said yesterday that he understood that his new job would be to assist the premier, and he would help revive the economy and reconstruct hard-hit areas in the wake of Morakot.
“After serving as a local government head for more than seven years, I have come to understand the importance of the government standing together with the public and doing what they desire,” Chu said in an interview at his county government office.
He said he hopes the ministries and departments will work in concert, just like a local government, and tackle issues with a team spirit.
Since a lot of people affected by Typhoon Morakot are still trying to get their lives back on track, the new Cabinet will prioritize post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction, he said.
Epidemic prevention would also be high on the Cabinet’s agenda, given that the number of swine flu patients hospitalized was increasing steadily, he said.
“Economic revival will be equally important because the economy has yet to bottom out of the recession,” said Chu, who has a doctoral degree in accounting.
Asked about speculation that he is Ma’s heir-apparent, Chu said this was not the time to be talking about political or partisan issues or personal interests.
“Full dedication to work is the public’s greatest expectation of the new Cabinet,” he said.
When he was asked about his fall from second place to 12th in the ranking of mayors and county commissioners in the latest opinion poll by CommonWealth Magazine, Chu said that the result might be connected to public dismay that the county government failed to get its status upgraded to a special municipality like Taipei City.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) voiced approval of Liu’s resignation, but challenged Ma’s choice of Wu Den-yih to replace him.
“The pair [Wu Den-yih and Chu] is much more of a political choice, and we will keep an eye on the new Cabinet’s ability,” she said during a visit to Hsinchu County.
Both Wu Den-yih and Chu lack Cabinet experience, Tsai said.
“What we are worried about is whether they can effectively coordinate government agencies and run the Cabinet,” she said.
The DPP also demanded Wu Den-yih withdraw next year’s central government budget that was submitted by Liu and draft a replacement.
Liu had sent his administrative plan and budget proposal to the legislature on Aug. 31.
“Wu’s [Den-yih] Cabinet must present a new budget statement in conformity with his policy objectives as the proposal from Liu’s Cabinet can’t embody Wu’s ideas,” DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said.
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) said the caucus would suggest Wu Den-yih follow the precedent set by Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) in October 2000 after he replaced Tang Fei (唐飛) during the first year of the former DPP administration.
“When Chang took office as premier, the administrative plan and budget request presented by Tang were already in the legislature. Lawmakers across party lines demanded the Executive Yuan conduct a review of the proposals and then send revised ones to the legislature,” Lin said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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