Minister of the Interior Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻源) and other government officials yesterday dismissed speculation about a possible Cabinet reshuffle, saying that focusing on their current duties should take priority this year.
Lee was rumored to be set to be replaced in a partial reshuffle, after Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) appeared to hint in a weekend interview at a possible reshuffle before the Lunar New Year holidays.
While attending the flag-raising ceremony in front of the Presidential Office, Lee was low-key on the issue.
“Speculation is speculation, and it is more important to do our jobs. Happy New Year to all, and we should continue to work hard,” he said.
Jiang was reportedly dissatisfied with Lee over his lenient approach to tackling unlicensed lodgings in Nantou County’s Cingjing (清境).
Other Cabinet members rumored to be up for replacement included Environmental Protection Administration Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏), Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) and Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達).
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday declined to comment on the issue as he led top government officials to attend the ceremony.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was also rumored to be joining the Cabinet in the reshuffle.
He yesterday declined to comment on what he called a “hypothetical question,” while giving his support for a Cabinet reshuffle.
“Premier Jiang has been working well with Ma, and it is quite appropriate for him to launch a reshuffle,” he said.
Hau also downplayed concerns about the latest reshuffle in the city government, as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Hao (王浩) yesterday formally took over as the commissioner of the city’s Department of Social Affairs.
Hau said he invited Wang to serve as the commissioner because former commissioner Jiang Yi-wen (江綺雯) decided to leave to resume her teaching position at a university, and denied that the reshuffle aimed to help pave the way for former Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien’s (連勝文) campaign for next year’s Taipei mayoral election.
“The appointment was made in accordance with [Wang’s] expertise and skills,” he said.
Lien is the most competitive potential candidate to represent the KMT in the mayoral election, but he has declined to confirm his bid for the candidacy.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all