Although the "greening" of two state-run enterprises has upset opposition parties and company management, political observers and lawmakers justified the move as "natural."
Defenders of the appointments say the DPP is just doing what the KMT did when it was in power.
"There's nothing wrong with appointing your own men in state-run enterprises when you come to power," said Lee Kuo-hsiung (
Much of the furor over the matter stems from the fact that the DPP used to criticize the KMT for engaging in such practices when it was in power.
"When the DPP was in opposition, it castigated the KMT for deploying unprofessional personnel in state-run businesses and criticized the appointments as political patronage," Lee said.
"But when it comes to power, the DPP is repeating what the KMT used to do," he said.
Facing opposition criticism, DPP lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) admitted that the appointments are part of the DPP's plan to pave the way for victory in the year-end mayoral elections, as well as in the 2004 presidential election.
"It is, after all, hard to ignore the resources of state-run companies because they can be used to aid the party's political agendas," he said.
"If they [the appointees] do a good job in their new positions, voters will use their ballots to show their support for us. And if they don't, they'll also let us know."
Since the DPP came to power in May 2000, it has replaced at least four high-ranking officials in state-run corporations.
In May last year, the KMT's Wang Chung-yu (
Both Wang and Kuo have more than 20 years experience in the steel industry.
Last month, the former vice chairman of the Commission of National Corporations (
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁) is also scheduled to be sworn in as the chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corp (台糖) on Monday.
Wu, who holds an economics degree, is to replace the KMT's Chien Ping-tsai (
Also last month, former DPP lawmaker Cheng Pao-ching (
Yu's 12-year record of success at Taiwan Salt also earned him the chairman's position at another money-making privatized state-run company, Taiwan Fertilizer Company (
Former DPP lawmaker Tseng Chen-nung (曾振農) may also take up the position of chairman at Lucent Technologies Taiwan Telecommunications (美台電訊), a transfer-investment company of the Chunghwa Telecom.
The former chairman of the company, Susan Su (
Lee said that the DPP has legitimate reasons for putting its own people in top spots at state-run businesses.
"When the DPP was in opposition, it didn't have many members from the industrial and business sectors because they [individuals in the private-sector] didn't dare to have any connections with the party," Lee said.
So when it comes to power, the party can only appoint its allies, regardless of their professional abilities, he said.
"Former minister of economic affairs Christine Tsung (
However the situation will improve as the party develops its pool of talent, according to Lee.
Tsai agreed with Lee's sentiment and called on the KMT to reflect on its record before criticizing the ruling party.
"When the KMT was in power, a retired serviceman could become an ambassador and an elementary school graduate a high-ranking government official," Tsai said. "What's wrong with our strategy of putting the right person in the right place?"
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS