First Lady Wu Shu-chen (
Tainan Deputy County Commissioner Lin Wen-ting (
Tainan County Commissioner Chen Tang-shan (
But the deputy commissioner said Wu tried to influence the process because she favored another person for the county post.
Both President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) camp and Wu claimed such charges were groundless.
The festive ambiance of the inaugural events was nearly spoiled by the unexpected change in the Cabinet lineup Friday.
Chen Tang-shan's refusal caught the new government by surprise, forcing a hasty search for a replacement. As it turned out, National Cheng Kung University President Weng Cheng-i (翁政義) assumed the position without much time to ponder his decision.
The scenario was reportedly attributed to the disparate opinions on the replacement for the Tainan county commissioner, with Wu allegedly insisting that DPP lawmaker Su Huan-chih (
"Why is it that [the pick of an acting county magistrate] has anything to do with me? ... How could I intervene in such a matter?" Wu said. "How could I have any say about it, when Lin I-hsiung (
In the process of forming the Cabinet, President Chen invited three current county chiefs to join the new government, while leaving the problem of succession to those stepping up.
Current regulations state that the final decision is in the hands of the interior ministry.
While Chen Tang-shan had insisted on Lin, the DPP was also considering others, such as Su.
Poor coordination over the issue led to confusion, yet after a May 17 meeting of DPP factions, a consensus was reached that Chen would step in.
However, a day later, after a meeting with President Chen, Su emerged as the favored candidate.
Wu acknowledged she had became acquainted with Su when he worked at Chen's law firm from 1983 to 1984, but she insisted this association did not mean she had exerted any influence on the selection of the acting commissioner.
"Why am I embroiled in such hot water? It is not worthwhile for me to comment on such nonsense," she said.
Vice Minister of the Interior-designate Lee Yi-yang (
"Wu has never meddled in Chen's administration, no matter what Chen's position is," Lee said.
"The first lady is renowned for standing aloof from politics, not to mention not sticking her foot into personnel arrangements." Lee said the rumors were spread with malicious intent.
In response to the controversy, Su said on Friday that he simply abided by the president's choice. "Both President Chen and Chairman Lin approached me during the process when they were determining the candidate, but Wu has never been in touch with me," Su said.
"Lin's charge is absurd, and such an allegation has tarnished the name of the DPP and the first lady," he added.
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
INDO-PACIFIC REGION: Royal Navy ships exercise the right of freedom of navigation, including in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the UK’s Tony Radakin told a summit Freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region is as important as it is in the English Channel, British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin said at a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The remark came as the British Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, is on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region as head of an international carrier strike group. “Upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with it, the principles of the freedom of navigation, in this part of the world matters to us just as it matters in the
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
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