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Chen promotes DPP `young elite'

Two student representatives present President Chen Shui-bian with A-bian and A-chen dolls during his meeting with the student campaigners at the Presidential Office yesterday. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday promised to speed up the generational transfer of power by promoting more of his younger party elite to serve as Cabinet members.

"The new head of the National Youth Commission will be the youngest person in the Cabinet after we have finalized a reshuffle, and, therefore, I hope that the public will recommend a suitable candidate as soon as possible," Chen told a group of representatives from the commission and universities.

In touch

Unlike the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its recent internal struggle, in which the party's young elite urged senior leaders to retire immediately and transfer leadership to the new generation, Chen yesterday displayed his resolution to stay in touch with the younger generation.

"The issue of `generational transfer of power' does not exist in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)," Chen said, "because I and the DPP leaders always respect suggestions from young people and invite them to help reform democracy in the country."

"Those who talk about the generational transfer of power now for the purpose of garnering youth votes will not succeed," he said.

Chen, accompanied by DPP Legislators Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉) and Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), met with 200 youngsters at the Presidential Office to discuss issues of educational reform, regional developments and government policy.

"Many people say that I am ruling the country with a group of boy scouts," Chen said.

"I do not care about such criticisms because history will prove that my success is based on the creativity and vitality of the young elite," he said.

Almost all the members of Chen's administration were born in the 1960s and are under 40 years old.

This caused the opposition alliance to allege repeatedly that such a young team led to the DPP government's alleged poor performance after the power transfer in 2000.

However, since Chen defeated the pan-blue alliance in the March 20 presidential election, the public and local media have been urging the KMT to enact a complete reform within the party, especially by learning from Chen's long-term strategy of promoting the young party elite.

"The youth is the country's capital investment for advancing progress and only youngsters can lead the country toward a future with limitless possibilities," Chen said.

"To give the youth opportunities means not to only grab their votes, but to follow their new concepts, ideas, spirit and cultural atmosphere," he said.

"To have contact with the youth only during an election campaign will lead to absolute failure," he said.

Chen then promised that he would support a new head of the National Youth Commission who is younger than Luo and Chen Chi-mai, who are both under 40.

Some young representatives immediately recommended well-known talk show host, social critic and writer Kevin Tsai (蔡康永), who also attended the gathering, to serve as the new commission head.

New perspective

Tsai immediately turned down the nomination and then suggested to the president that the head of the commission should be someone who can expand his or her perspective on taking care of youths who are not able to develop within the government's educational system.

"The Ministry of Education is not the place to direct these youths, who need creative mechanisms such as a `sports institute' or a `costume designing school' to be able to enjoy alternative modes of learning," Tsai said.

The president proposed that Chen Chi-mai, who was designated on Wednesday by Premier Yu Shyi-kun to serve as the new Cabinet spokesman, assist in realizing Tsai's idea.
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