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Cabinet posts not being bartered: Cho

The Presidential Office yesterday rejected allegations that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has used Cabinet positions to settle the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) legislative primary.

Although Chen did meet with some legislators recently, Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said it had nothing to do with the allocation of government positions.

Cho said that the appointment of government officials is not within the president's power but that of the premier.

Cho made the remarks in response to a report published in yesterday's Chinese-language China Times.

The report claimed that three DPP legislators were offered government positions to simplify the party primary for the year-end legislative elections. Among them was DPP Legislator Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻), who had accepted the position of vice minister of transportation andcommunications, the report said, and that the announcement would be made in the next few weeks.

REFERENDUM DENIED

Cho also dismissed the allegation that the Presidential Office is teaming up with the Executive Yuan to push for a referendum to be held in tandem with the presidential and legislative elections.

"There is no such thing," he said. "Whether the presidential election will be held concurrently with the legislative polls has not yet been finalized and the matter is to be decided by the Central Election Commission and the public."

On whether the DPP's proposal to mount a referendum to reclaim the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) stolen party assets will be held simultaneously with the two elections, Cho said that it was too early to tell because the matter would hinge on a sufficient number of signatures being gathered to make the proposal valid.

When asked to comment on the matter, three DPP legislators denied that Chen Shui-bian had tried to persuade them to withdraw from the legislative primary by giving them Cabinet posts.

DENIALS

"I have talked to several people and they all said the report was ridiculous," DPP Legislator Lin Yu-sheng (林育生) told a press conference, adding that he had not been offered a position.

"No one had asked for my opinion and I do not desire [a Cabinet post], either," DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-chin (葉宜津) said in telephone interview.

Joined by several representatives from underprivileged groups at a press conference, DPP Legislator Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋) -- a long-time advocate for civic groups -- also dismissed any possibility of his being promoted to Cabinet member in exchange for his withdrawal from the legislative bid.

"No one has ever implied an offer or offered me a Cabinet position and it is not an option I am in favor of anyway," he said.

Chen Chin-jun refused to say whether he would be given a Cabinet post.

But according to an assistant at the caucus who spoke under the condition of anonymity, Chen had called the three caucus whips to say farewell.

Media speculation arose when the DPP had too many members who were interested in the year-end legislative election.

Twenty people have registered as candidates for legislator-at-large nominees, while candidate negotiations are required in 26 out of 73 electoral districts because more than two members have registered in these districts.

When asked for comments, former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that in Western countries, it is a common phenomenon for governments to recruit Cabinet members.

He did not elaborate.

Some KMT lawmakers yesterday called a press conference slamming the DPP government for abusing the nation's resources for the party's interests.

"The DPP doesn't deserve` to have democracy' and `progressive' included in its name if it misuses the nation's resources for its party," KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) said.

People First Party Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that the government deserved the severest punishment for giving Cabinet posts to lawmakers in exchange for dropping out of the legislative primary, adding the move would damage the DPP's reputation.
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