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Ma, Wang slam Hsieh for 'non-issue' CEO proposal

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday lashed out at his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) over his proposal to have someone with a background as a top business executive appointed as premier.

Ma said Hsieh was making an issue out of nothing and stressed that the KMT would respect the president's decision on appointing a premier.

"I already said that the so-called `CEO premier' is a non-issue and the DPP has to put an end to that issue. The KMT did not agree to the idea, nor did we reject it," Ma said after attending a ceremony to launch a supporters' group for his campaign in Taipei.

Hsieh on Friday criticized the KMT for rejecting his idea of selecting a CEO as premier, arguing that his proposal was pointless unless it had the support of the KMT.

"The KMT's stance on the matter has been consistent. The appointment of the new Cabinet, or the `caretaker Cabinet,' is the DPP's decision. We respect the president's decision as long as the Cabinet functions well under the Constitution," Ma said.

After President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said he was considering rejecting the Cabinet's resignation, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) suggested that the government consider stipulating an appropriate date for the Cabinet's resignation.

Wang said the Constitution did not stipulate when a Cabinet should resign and said that having to replace the Cabinet at this juncture would complicate administration and harm social stability, since the Cabinet will have to resign again before the presidential inauguration in May.

It has become an established procedure for the premier to lead the Cabinet in resigning before a new legislature is sworn in.

The tradition dates back to when Cabinet appointments required legislative approval. That approval was, however, done away with in a 1997 constitutional amendment.

Wang also echoed Ma's criticism of the CEO premier idea, accusing the DPP of cooking up the proposal to "manipulate the election."

"The right to form the Cabinet belongs to the president and it's unnecessary to consult the KMT," he said.
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