The Presidential Office yesterday was mum on reports that former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) would take over as premier in the middle of next month, because Premier William Lai (賴清德) is determined to resign to assume responsibility for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) losses in the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections.
The Chinese-language Next Magazine on Wednesday night reported that Su had agreed to take up the post shortly before then-Minister of Education Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) on Monday unexpectedly approved the appointment of National Taiwan University president-elect Kuan Chung-min (管中閔).
Su, 71, was initially reluctant to serve again as premier, and it was not until after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) and Lai entreated him that he finally agreed to the appointment, the report said.
Photo: Lin Hsin-han, Taipei Times
Tsai had tried to persuade Lai to stay, but the premier was steadfast in his resolve to resign over the DPP’s loss in the local elections, it said.
Widely viewed as a potential DPP candidate in the 2020 presidential election, Lai plans to travel abroad to “do some thinking and re-energize himself,” it added.
The Presidential Office has not released any such information, spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said.
Local media reports added that Su had started soliciting potential Cabinet members, which include former DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and former Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
Chen Chi-mai would be appointed vice premier, while Lin would assume the post of Environmental Protection Administration minister, a position vacated by Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), who resigned after the elections, reports said.
When asked to comment, Lin said he had not heard about the appointment.
“One does not need to be a government official to contribute [to the nation],” he said on the sidelines of an event to raise awareness about caring for people with disabilities in Taichung.
Chen Chi-mai could not be reached for comment yesterday.
DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that if the reports were true, Su, a senior DPP member, would be a “reassuring” pick for premier during these “tumultuous” times, as he would be able to bring a party that is still reeling from its election loss back on track.
Su has a well-rounded resume, she said, adding that having served as commissioner of then-Taipei County and premier, he is well-versed in formulating and pushing policies.
Chen Chi-mai, having served as a lawmaker, Presidential Office deputy secretary-general and Cabinet spokesman, could improve communication between the office, the Cabinet and the party, thereby streamlining efforts within the party, she said.
As the appointment of a premier is in the president’s purview, the Executive Yuan has no comment on the issue, Cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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