Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) Minister Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said yesterday that his agency would propose a plan to improve the government’s efficiency within three months.
Jiang said that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) was very unhappy about the criticism leveled at the government over its lack of efficiency.
Taiwan declined in terms of “government effectiveness” in the latest Worldwide Governance Indicators 1996-2008 report released on Monday by the World Bank Group, receiving its lowest score since 1998.
In the report, Taiwan was still second tier in the category of government effectiveness, meaning that its performance fell between the 75th and 90th percentile of all nations, but its ranking had dropped to 22 from 17 the year before.
The Chinese-language China Times reported that Liu was angry with the chronic problem of government documents needlessly traveling back and forth among agencies.
One example cited was the failure of the Central Personnel Administration (CPA) to complete a draft proposal on a system of awards and penalties to supervise public construction projects five months after he gave the order.
“Under Liu’s instruction, RDEC has established a task force to study possible measures to enhance government effectiveness,” Jiang said.
The task force will work out solutions to bureaucracy problems based on the suggestions of foreign and local business associations over the past three years, Jiang said.
It usually takes from four to six months to complete the paperwork on a policy because documents might go through different agencies, Jiang said.
Jiang said that government officials should meet face to face so they can save time by solving problems on the spot instead of exchanging opinions in documents.
In related news, the CPA yesterday issued a press statement saying that it was set to deliberate on how to establish a system of awards and penalties after receiving the order from Liu.
Liu gave the order in February.
The CPA said that it received the document on April 8 and a documents were sent to related agencies to collect their opinions within a week.
It then referred the collected views to the Public Construction Commission (PCC) for reference before it drafted its initial proposal.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS