President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday neither confirmed nor denied speculation that former minister of finance Lin Chuan (林全) might be appointed premier after she assumes office in May.
The speculation again caught media attention after Tsai appointed Lin, along with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and former DPP secretary-general Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀), a co-convener of her transition team to handle the transfer of power from the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Tsai also said on Tuesday that Lin Chuan might not continue to serve as executive director of the New Frontier Foundation.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“I was just saying that if he [Lin Chuan] does not continue to serve [on the foundation], there are many other possibilities,” Tsai said yesterday, when asked whether he would become a Cabinet member.
Asked whether Lin Chuan would be appointed premier, Tsai said: “It is too early to tell.”
“The three people on the task force [for transition of power] represent the think tank, the policy department, the party secretary-general and the campaign chief executive,” Tsai said. “They head up the three major systems, and I have therefore asked them to form the task force out of functional considerations. It does not necessarily have any connection to future personnel arrangements.”
Tsai added that she would make an announcement when she has finalized decisions on official appointments.
Lin Chuan, an economist and a professor, is one of Tsai’s most trusted aides, reports say.
In other news, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) reiterated his determination to push for reforms to turn the legislature into a committee-oriented organization.
To show their determination to push for legislative reforms, Su and his deputy, Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), resigned as members of the DPP Central Standing Committee on Monday, after they were elected speaker and deputy speaker earlier that day.
Su also vowed to make legislative committees the centers of the legislature, triggering media inquiries as to whether he might be worried about becoming a “powerless” legislative speaker.
“If the legislative procedures could run smoothly, the legislature could become truly committee-
oriented, and there could be quality and efficient legislation, it would be a good thing even if that means I have to become powerless,” Su said.
Asked whether he was concerned that DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), who was also interested in running for speaker, might become an “underground speaker” as the DPP caucus holds an absolute majority, Su said the public might have misunderstood Ker.
“Ker is very loyal to the party and focused on what he does; therefore, he is the right person to help negotiate a shared view on bills among caucus members,” Su said. “What is more important is meeting the public’s expectations.”
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
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