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Post-Election 2008: Prices to remain frozen until Cabinet handover in May

The Cabinet will not raise the prices of water, electricity, liquefied petroleum gas, fuel oil and natural gas before handing over power to the new government on May 20, spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) said yesterday.

Public utility prices have been frozen since last November, despite a rise in international oil prices.

"As we have said previously that freezing the prices was not because of [Saturday's] election, but the negative impact on the public's livelihood, the government will keep the cap on the prices to take care of people until May 20," Shieh said.

In accordance with Civil Servants Employment Law (公務人員任用法), the main legal basis for transfer of power, the government will enter a caretaker period between when the president-elect is proclaimed winner of the presidential election and the May 20 inauguration of the president.

The Central Election Commission is required by the law to make the proclamation within seven days after the presidential election, or this Friday.

"After the new president was elected on March 22, we entered a caretaker period. As a caretaker body, we know our place," Shieh said.

Shieh said the Cabinet will continue to propose bills pertaining to policies that were already made before the presidential election. He also said that no major policies will be made.

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will not appoint new members of the National Communication Commission (NCC) and respect former Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Charles Chiang's (江昭儀) decision to reject the position of vice chairman at the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), Shieh said. According to an amendment to the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (國家通訊委員會組織法) last December, the Cabinet should have presented the nomination list by Jan. 31.

The current NCC commissioners had been scheduled to step down on Jan. 31 together with the sixth Legislative Yuan after the Council of Grand Justices ruled last July that the formation of the commission had violated the Constitution by infringing upon executive power.

Shieh said that Executive Yuan's Secretary-General Chen Chih-jun (陳景峻) will work with the Presidential Office's Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) to ensure a smooth transition of government.

Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (許志雄) will study if the demand by the KMT caucus that Chang brief the legislature on transfer of power matters is constitutional, Shieh said.

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