President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday threw his support behind beleaguered Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), while likening his former deputy minister, Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), to a “pest” in cross-strait ties.
Legislators across party lines have called on Wang to step down for his “ham-fisted” handling of Chang’s case, who has been accused of leaking state secrets and forced to resign.
The president yesterday voiced his approval of Wang’s actions, saying: “There is no need for him to resign.”
Photo: CNA
“It was Wang who took the initiative to investigate Chang after [being tipped off about a possible information leak]. He made decisions swiftly and cooperated with prosecutors,” Ma said.
“He also held a press conference that lasted for 70 minutes. It is pretty rare for a government, with respect to this kind of events, to spend so much time explaining,” the president said.
Stressing the importance of cross-strait relations, the president compared it to a tree that has to be nurtured, while implying that Chang was a pest that could ruin the relationship.
“For a sapling to grow, you need a gardener to water and fertilize it, and when pests are found, the gardener has to get rid of them,” he said.
“The development of cross-strait relations cannot be allowed to stall because of a pest, and we cannot ignore it [the pest] once it has been found,” Ma said, adding that Chang’s case would not affect progress in cross-strait exchanges.
Responding to Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) call for him to apologize and for national security officials to be held accountable, Ma said that Tsai was “confused about [the issue] and reversing the procedure.”
“As Chang is only suspected [of leaking information] rather than having been convicted, we need to adhere to the principle of presumption of innocence,” Ma said. “It is strange to ask for someone’s apology or demand that they admit to certain mistakes when the result has not yet been determined.”
Ma denied that the case involves any political infighting within the administration.
“How could we target him, our own colleague? However, if he committed a crime, we cannot conceal it either,” he said.
When asked about the prospect of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) following this incident, Ma said his positive attitude toward the meeting, if certain preconditions are met, has not changed.
“As for [Chang’s] case, I think in the end it will be clear to everybody that it has nothing to do with the Ma-Xi meeting,” he said.
Responding to Ma’s statement, DPP spokesman Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said it showed a “lack of self-reflection.”
“Apologizing for [his administration’s handling of] Chang’s case is the president’s political responsibility, whereas the principle of presumption of innocence is a notion of legal responsibility. Ma conflated the two and used the latter as a political pretext for refusing to apologize,” Huang said. “This amounts to ignorance of democratic constitutionalism.”
Moreover, comparing Chang to a pest, based on the president’s political logic of presumption of innocence, “would then constitute deliberate humiliation,” Huang said.
“The absurdity of Ma’s logic is eye-opening,” he said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS