Former national policy adviser Wu Li-pei (吳澧培) yesterday questioned the effectiveness of the latest Cabinet reshuffle, saying a comprehensive overhaul replacing Premier Lin Chuan (林全) and ministers who served in the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government is necessary to improve the nation’s leadership.
The replacement of the ministers of science and technology, health and welfare, labor and agriculture on Friday was a belated adjustment to the under-performing Cabinet, while a complete overhaul is necessary to make the government more innovative and Taiwan-centric, Wu said.
While the effect of the reshuffle is yet to be observed, the new ministers’ achievements might be limited since the premier has been unable to prove himself as anything more than a tax expert with questionable leadership, he said.
“Lin does not seem to have the leadership ability to build a united team, with different branches of the government doing their own thing,” Wu said.
Lin, a former finance minister, is an expert in taxation, but is conservative about suggesting innovative fiscal policies needed to stimulate the economy. His refusal to approve budget items he deems unnecessary could impede economic reforms, Wu said.
“A person who errs can still be given an opportunity if he proves suitable for the job, but having the wrong person in the job is unacceptable,” he said.
The scope of the reshuffle is too narrow to remove “old blue men” from the Cabinet — predominantly men associated with the KMT or having served in former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, including Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維), Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) and Veterans Affairs Council Director Lee Shying-jow (李翔宙), Wu said, adding that their acceptance of the so-called “1992 consensus” is at odds with President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) policies.
“A new premier and Cabinet members with a ‘Taiwan mindset,’ executive capabilities and team spirit is key to a bright future,” he added.
Tsai said there was a “lack of talented options” for the Cabinet, Wu said, adding that many officials from former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration and people from the academic and business sectors could be excellent candidates.
Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-shen (張葉森) also said Lee, Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) and National Development Council Chairman Chen Tian-jy (陳添枝) should be replaced.
David Lee squandered a rare opportunity to improve foreign relations when the US passed legislation approving high-level Taiwan-US military exchanges and reaffirmed the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” Chang said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly demoted a high-level official for suggesting changing the nation’s acronym from ROC (Republic of China) to “Taiwan,” contrary to efforts to “rectify” the nation’s name, he said.
Chiu has done little since his inauguration, Chang said, while his inaction in imposing a travel ban on Ma over his legal dispute has been criticized among the pan-green camp as hypocritical since Chen Shui-bian’s travel was restricted immediately after he left office.
Although Tsai is determined to carry out reforms, her efforts might be fruitless without a complete Cabinet overhaul, he said.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS