Taipei Times: How do you intend to operate in your position as the secretary-general of the Presidential Office? Will things be different from the past?
Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄): The Presidential Office was previously not open to the public -- even reporters had difficulty covering news from there. This was caused by the outgoing ruling party, the KMT. Because President-elect Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) won the race through a competitive process, he will do things differently than KMT presidents. Chen brought up many different political views during the campaign and now he must cash these "checks." The Presidential Office therefore has to communicate and negotiate with the Cabinet as well as the legislature, to promote Chen's political views.
As secretary-general, I will have to plunge into these affairs to the best of my abilities. I hope those who voted for Chen will feel good about their choice, while those who opposed him can change their mind and support him in the next election.
Although Vice President-elect Annette Lu (
TT: Following Chen's announcement that he would not participate in party-related affairs, what is the relationship likely to be like between Chen and the DPP? Will the DPP support Chen's hold on the reins of government?
Chang: Chen declared that he would stay out of party affairs -- which does not mean he is not important for the DPP. On the contrary, Chen's opinions on party reform will prove decisive [for the party].
The DPP was the opposition in the past, but now it has been transformed into the ruling party. The party must justify both its role and organization. One of the crucial aims for party reform, therefore, is undoubtedly to support Chen.
TT: You have criticized the current Cabinet for appearing to "resist" the transfer of power to the new government. How did that happen?
Chang: After the election, President Lee Teng-hui (
I therefore had to become a "bad guy" to urge the Cabinet to speed up the transfer. Attitudes appear to have improved since then.
TT: Which aspects of such procedures do you think need to be legislated?
Chang: First of all, government officials need to understand the concept of "being a responsible ruler and a decent administrator." I would ask that when those officials brief me, they should explain right away what kind of crises could occur in their ministries both now and in future -- and what measures they would take to solve such crises. If they handed over that kind of knowledge and experience first, then we could discuss which laws and regulations still need to be written.
Examples from other countries are not always suited to Taiwan. In our situation, we need to pass some new laws regarding important controversial issues, government budgets, the transfer of government personnel and classified documents.
The outgoing government needs to practice self-control before we can have the necessary laws and regulations.
TT: Chen made many promises to voters during the campaign. Have you listed the policy priorities for the new government?
Chang: We have only one and a half years [before the next legislative election in December 2001] to prove that people made the correct choice in voting for Chen. So we will work to accomplish three important missions -- terminate "black-gold" politics, complete 921 post-quake reconstruction and improve the efficiency of the central government.
In addition, we must successfully prevent vote-buying in the legislative elections.
TT: Annette Lu has made controversial remarks about her fight for what she has called her "constitutional rights" after the election. She even criticized Chen. How do you handle this situation? Are there still tensions between Lu and Chen?
Chang: I use the phrase "human nature" in observing the relationship between Chen and Lu. Lu has suffered so much hardship since the Kaohsiung Incident 20 years ago and she is still devoted to Taiwan's democratic reform. We should give her a period of time to adjust to the role she should play.
I think Lu's remarks could well become the sort of thing people might gossip about, but the relationship between Chen and Lu will never influence the new government's operations.
NO-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2