Former presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) yesterday called on Premier Lin Chuan (林全) to resign, the second such call from the pan-green camp in two weeks.
“Lin can make an excellent adviser, but is not leadership material,” Koo said in a radio interview while talking about President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Cabinet picks.
It was a severe mistake to appoint Lin as premier and it would harm Tsai’s authority if he is not replaced immediately, Koo said.
“Although some do not think Lin is unqualified, it will cause greater damage if his replacement is delayed until it becomes absolutely necessary,” he said.
Koo said his opinion about Lin’s appointment is the same as that of former national policy adviser Wu Li-pei (吳澧培), who on Aug. 30 said that there would be “no tomorrow for Tsai” if the premier does not step down.
Tsai’s approval rating would continue to fall without a timely Cabinet reshuffle, he said.
The Tsai administration cannot excuse its flagging approval ratings by saying it just took office recently, Koo said.
“What about the four months before it assumed office [in May], and the four years before that?” Koo asked, adding that Tsai’s decision would not have been challenged if she had planned the Cabinet appointment after the presidential election in January.
Tsai does not like “senior politicians to interfere” with her presidency and administration, but this style of governance will negatively affect her administration, as a government that only listens to a small group of people would turn away supporters, he said.
Tsai should not compromise her ideals for re-election prospects, but should do whatever she can to leave a memorable legacy, he said.
Koo, who had earlier suggested that Tsai serve only one term, said that her two predecessors did not carry out necessary reforms in a bid to be re-elected and ended up with bad reputations.
Koo also expressed his disapproval of the rumored appointment of People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) as the representative to this year’s APEC leaders’ summit in November.
The alleged appointment would not benefit Taiwan, he said, adding that Beijing would not welcome the appointment either.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) previous meeting with Soong and former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) was a planned strategy, but such a meeting is not guaranteed at the APEC, Koo said.
“I do not mean to judge Soong, but is there not a better candidate?” he asked.
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) would be a “dangerous” candidate to lead the APEC delegation, because her behavior and speech might “embarrass” the nation, Koo said.
It is preferable to select a businessperson, regardless of party affiliation, to lead the delegation, he said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
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