Government critics yesterday assailed Premier Jiang Yi-huah’s (江宜樺) statement on Monday that the administration offered former Mainland Affairs Council deputy minister Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀) the position of chairman of a state-run enterprise “out of concern” for his family when it asked him to resign.
Jiang said that when administrative officials are suspected of illegal activities, the standard procedure would be to make adjustments to their position which, in Chang’s case, meant removing him from a decisionmaking post.
“However, bearing in mind that he still needs to feed a family, he was offered the position of chairman of a state-run company,” Jiang said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said the government’s proposition was an “abuse of public resources” and showed that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration “has little concern for public suffering and cares only about the rich and the powerful and political machinations.”
“Chang is not the only one who has a family to feed in Taiwan. [The nation’s] economic environment is deteriorating, with unemployment and stagnant wages, but he [Chang] was nonetheless offered a tailor-made, high-ranking position,” Huang said.
Huang added that while the government arranged a position for Chang, who is suspected of leaking information to China and accused of being a spy, it did nothing of the sort for former minister of labor Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) and former minister of justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫), who, unlike Chang, were not suspected of any criminal offense.
“So Pan and Tseng have no families to feed?” Huang asked. “This is clearly double standards and biased treatment, which shows that this administration only pays lip service to its much-touted governing in accordance with the law.”
Peter Wang (王獻極), convener of the 908 Taiwan Republic Campaign, said Jiang’s comment showed his ignorance of public misery.
Chang has at least three luxury apartments, including one in Taipei that is estimated to be worth NT$70 million (US$2.3 million), Wang said.
“With his current assets, he can provide a comfortable living to at least three generations of his family. How is he in need of a job, at the expense of public resources, to feed his family?” Wang asked.
“Many families cannot afford a box of mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival [and] countless unemployed young men have to depend on their parents. The number of homeless people is increasing and they cannot even find a job cleaning toilets to scrape by. A premier that is ignorant of people’s suffering should be kicked out of office,” Wang said.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS