Swearing in his new Cabinet yesterday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) denied that the Cabinet reshuffle was aimed at winning December’s local elections, saying that one of the new Cabinet’s main tasks would be to enhance disaster-prevention measures after Typhoon Morakot wreaked havoc in southern Taiwan last month, claiming at least 619 lives.
Leading incoming Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) in a meeting with the media at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon, Ma said he was not so “short-sighted” as to reorganize the Cabinet for the purpose of winning the year-end elections.
“This new team is an ‘action Cabinet,’” Ma said. “It has the ability to execute policy, be competitive and exercise soft power.”
PHOTO: CNA
Ma said he had high expectations for the new Cabinet and he hoped it would take the public’s interests to heart.
Many challenges lay ahead, the president said, such as completing post-Morakot reconstruction work, improving disaster prevention, flood prevention and mountain management projects, reviving the economy and combating the A(H1N1) swine flu strain.
He added that incisive government action would be essential in reviving the economy.
The president said he regretted having to bid farewell to outgoing premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄), who led the Cabinet in resigning yesterday morning to take political responsibility for the typhoon disaster.
Nevertheless, Ma said, he admired Liu’s courage and appreciated his efforts to lay a sound foundation for the economy, social security, cross-strait relations and international relations.
Ma said he had selected Wu as premier because they were “old friends” and Wu had extensive political experience. The president added that he was also impressed by Wu’s “cool-headedness” and professionalism.
Rejecting media speculation that Wu and Liu were on less than cordial terms, Ma said that when he was looking for a party secretary-general during his stint as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman two years ago, Liu recommended Wu for the position.
Ma said Chu was a “likable guy” who had the ability to get things done, possessed great creativity and had a global perspective.
When asked about his administration’s plan to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Beijing, Ma said he hoped both sides would resume negotiations as soon as possible.
Wu said the new Cabinet would not rush ECFA talks and emphasized that it would adhere to Ma’s doctrine on cross-strait development, which Wu said was to take a “Taiwan-centered approach while furthering the public’s interests.”
“We will exert ourselves in accordance with this doctrine,” Wu said. “Any cross-strait agreement must be signed under the following conditions: the country needs it, the people support it and the legislature supervises it.”
Ma also rebuffed speculation that Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) had been kept in the dark about Liu’s resignation.
Ma said Liu told Siew about his intention to resign the day after he had informed the president in the middle of last month.
In response to complaints from reporters about a lack of transparency over the Cabinet reshuffle, Ma apologized for the secrecy, saying he had wanted to protect the morale of Cabinet officials preoccupied with relief efforts.
Earlier yesterday, Siew oversaw the hand-over ceremony at the Executive Yuan in Taipei.
Siew praised Liu for achievements on many fronts — establishing integrity in government, carrying out tax reform, “sailing through the global financial tsunami,” improving cross-strait relations, expanding Taiwan’s international space and taking care of disadvantaged people.
“That Liu resigned as premier to take responsibility for the flooding shows his statesmanlike qualities. What he has done during his term will be regarded highly by history,” Siew said.
Liu said that he would continue to contribute to post-disaster reconstruction work.
“Although I am released from my heavy burden as premier, I can’t forget about the reconstruction of typhoon-hit areas,” Liu said.
Asked about his plans after leaving office, Liu, who came under fire for getting a haircut on Aug. 11, at the height of the rescue efforts, said yesterday: “[I am going to] have a haircut.”
Later yesterday, Wu convened a Cabinet meeting where he called on members to “be slow to promise and sure to perform,” saying it was essential for the government to be reliable.
Also See: EDITORIAL: An election Cabinet in place
Also See: FEATURE: Liu had no choice but to resign, analysts say
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique