Cabinet Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday confirmed that Minister of Cultural Affairs Huang Pi-twan (黃碧端) had tendered her resignation.
Su told reporters that Huang had tendered her resignation several times, but Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) had yet to approve it.
“The premier said Minister Huang had performed very well and had been very competent in terms of protecting cultural assets, promoting of the arts and planning cultural events and major cultural venues,” Su said.
Huang sent a letter to members of the council saying she had decided not to stay after former premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) led members of his Cabinet in resigning en masse on Sept 7.
Huang became minister on May 20 last year and remained after the Cabinet reshuffle, but said she only promised to stay on temporarily so that the premier would have time to find a successor.
Huang said she had handed her resignation to the premier on a number of occasions over the past month because she believed she had completed her mission for the time being and that she wanted the council to be led by a younger and more energetic minister.
Vice Minister of Cultural Affairs Chang Yui-tan (張譽騰) told reporters the minister had been very concerned about the review by legislators and the media, adding that legislators’ criticism on Monday might have renewed her determination to quit.
During a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee on Monday, legislators criticized Huang for sending two text messages to her friends complaining about being unable to win support from legislators.
Huang was scheduled to attend the committee’s meeting yesterday, but requested a leave of absence.
Huang’s absence prompted Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators to threaten to boycott the council’s budget request for next year.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), a member of the committee, said Huang shouldn’t tender her resignation until the committee completes the budget review.
Meanwhile, Su dismissed media speculation that Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) also tendered his resignation over the US beef import controversy. Su said the premier and the president both gave credits to Yaung for his performance.
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