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.
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