Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
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 (
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.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard