DPP expects Yao to win confirmation

DPP leaders predicted that Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), the nominee for Examination Yuan president, should be able to garner enough support to allow him to win confirmation tomorrow.

They said several KMT and independent lawmakers have agreed to forsake their partisan prejudice in support of Yao, considering that the position is not too politically sensitive and has little power to manipulate political resources, in comparison to other government positions.

"Yao should get at least 115 votes -- two votes more than the required half of the entire 225 seats," DPP lawmaker Hong Chi-chang (洪其昌) estimated.

Hong said the DPP has won the endorsement from some KMT and independent lawmakers, who have had a record of cooperating with the DPP in the past.

Along with the support from the "pan-green" camp -- 100 votes altogether from the DPP and TSU, Hong said hope is high for Yao to win approval.

Voting will take place at the legislature today and tomorrow to determine the fate of 27 high-level government nominees. The vacancies to be filled include 21 Examination Yuan members, two Grand Justices and four Control Yuan members.

The DPP's legislative caucus, which has been asked to help reduce potential resistance, portrayed the task as an uphill struggle, as the ruling party controls only 87 seats in the 225-seat Legislative Yuan.

Although the TSU has consented to throw their weight behind Yao, lawmakers from the KMT and the PFP have threatened to vote him down on the grounds that Yao is a diehard campaigner for Taiwan independence. They argue that Yao is not fit for the post because the Constitution stipulates the Examination Yuan should be a non-partisan body.

Yao's political ideology is not the only focus of the attacks.

Angela Yao (姚雨靜), Yao's daughter, was also involved in the political battle yesterday after PFP lawmaker Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) accused her of being promoted in violation of regulations because of her privileged family background.

He said that as a secretary to the director general of the Bureau of Labor Insurance, Angela would be promoted in June after only serving in the post for eight months. He added it usually takes three to five years for ordinary civil servants to get the same promotion.

Angela told the Taipei Times that she was sorry the matter was politicized to the extent that all her family members have been victimized by this nomination.

She said Sun's accusations are unfounded because she is not even included on the promotion list.

A weekly magazine released last week questioned Yao Chia-wen's integrity by alleging that Yao had had an affair with one of his former aides. All of the parties involved denied the reports' accusations.

The bid of former interior minister Chang Po-ya (張博雅), Yao's would-be deputy, appears to face less obstacles because opposition lawmakers have long expressed their support for her. On the contrary, she has encountered more criticism from DPP members because she has never offered to help Yao.

DPP legislators are less likely to vote her down because they would not want to embarrass the president.

The KMT and DPP have reportedly determined to veto the four Control Yuan members and two Grand Justices.

Lin Yi-shih (林益世), KMT's legislative whip, said there is no reason to add these positions because the government is trying to downsize in a bid to save costs. He also said vacancies in these two departments will not at all affect their performance.