Minister strikes out with lawmakers over baseball

The Asian Games' baseball final between Taiwan and South Korea yesterday attracted widespread attention in Taiwan -- and trig-gered a dispute in the Legislative Yuan.

Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) came under fire yesterday from several opposition lawmakers for taking a few days off to go to South Korea to attend the game.

A big baseball fan, Yu left for Busan on Tuesday, accompanied by DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), to directly express his support for Taiwan's team.

That meant, however, that Yu was not able to attend a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Judicial Committee, which last week had invited him to report on the ministry's affairs yesterday.

Yu assigned Vice Minister Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) and National Police Administration Director-General Wang Chin-wang (王進旺) to attend the meeting.

But his absence upset PFP and KMT members of the committee.

"Yu was obviously escaping from the legislature's questions, which is the worst example for government officials to set," said PFP legislative leader Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧) during yesterday's meeting.

KMT Legislator Cheng Feng-shih (鄭逢時) was equally critical.

"Yu is minister of interior affairs, not the chairman of the National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He is obviously confused about his position," Cheng said.

The ministry issued a press release yesterday stating that "Minister Yu is taking his personal vacation in the belief that nothing necessarily requires his attendance in the legislature's committee meeting."

Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) also defended Yu yesterday during the Cabinet's press conference.

Liu said that Yu's vacation request had complied with civil service regulations.

Yu also visited Japan for the World Cup in June.