Former premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who resigned following the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) landslide defeat in last year’s nine-in-one elections, yesterday left for the US to serve a year as a visiting academic at Harvard and Stanford universities.
Jiang left a day after being named as one of the Presidential Office’s senior advisers.
The Presidential Office announced a new list of senior advisers and national policy advisers, who are to remain in their positions until May 19 next year.
Photo: Chu Pei-de, Taipei Times
It is likely to be the last adviser appointment before President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) second term ends.
The list includes former Presidential Office secretary-general Timothy Yang (楊進添) and former Examination Yuan president John Kuan (關中) as senior advisers — the other 24 positions were chosen by reappointment.
Jiang was a political science professor at National Taiwan University before he joined the Ma administration in 2000, taking the positions of minister of the research, development and evaluation commission, minister of the interior, vice premier and premier.
Jiang earned his doctorate at Yale University, specializing in political philosophy and Hannah Arendt’s political theory.
He cited Arendt twice in a speech given before leaving the Cabinet, referring to her idea of the public sphere and her words saying that a life spent entirely in the public realm would become shallow.
The former premier left the Cabinet amid controversies, including his decision to forcefully evict Sunflower movement protesters from the front square of the Executive Yuan on March 24 last year, a move that reportedly left scores of protesters injured.
Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), one of the leading protesters in the Sunflower movement, condemned the appointment.
“Though being Ma’s adviser is not something that could be seen as an honor, the nation’s official titles, however, should not be used as personal favors,” Huang said on Facebook on Friday after the announcement.
“Jiang, who caused so many injuries and has not yet offered any apology or been held accountable, is in no position [to receive the title],” he said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS