Executive Yuan spokesman-designate Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) yesterday called on outgoing Premier Simon Chang (張善政) to share the mistakes and failures of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration over the past eight years.
“We hope Chang might share more failures and blind spots that occurred during the KMT administration so that the incoming government will not repeat its mistakes,” Tung said.
Tung said that Chang should share his mistakes because during the time he has served as vice premier and premier, Taiwan’s economy has been in recession for three consecutive quarters.
“We hope that both the governing and opposition parties can work together for Taiwan’s economic and sustainable development,” he said.
Chang on Thursday said that although he had voted for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2000, he was dissatisfied with his performance.
On the presidential election day in 2004, he told his son that if Chen won re-election, he should study abroad and prepare to emigrate, he said.
Chang went on to “remind” the incoming government not to force him to also move abroad.
Chang’s remarks triggered criticism from DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), who said the average GDP was higher during Chen’s administration than under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九).
“Is Chang not also responsible for the government’s bad performance?” Hsu asked. “If he wants to emigrate, then go ahead.”
DPP Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) said that “it is unethical to find excuses to criticize [the incoming government] because of differences in political affiliation.”
Chang yesterday said that his comments were inappropriate.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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