With just a little more than a year left in President Chen Shui-bian's (
Chang announced yesterday his selections for the Cabinet, naming Air Force General Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) as the new minister of national defense, replacing Lee Jye (李傑), who will retire.
Lee Tien-yu is a former chief of the general staff who stepped down on Feb. 1 to become a presidential adviser. On becoming defense minister, he will have to resign his generalship -- a lifetime position -- in accordance with the law, which mandates that no serving officer can hold the top post in the defense ministry, to ensure civilian control of the military.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Meanwhile, the country's representative to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey (
swearing in
The new Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday, when Chang is formally appointed premier.
Sources said that Chang met yesterday morning with Lee Tien-yu, who accepted the appointment as defense minister.
Chang also obtained Shieh's consent earlier the same day regarding his new appointment.
Outgoing Presidential Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) was questioned by the media as to why the president had again chosen a career military officer as national defense minister, despite having earlier pledged to maintain civilian control of the military.
Chiou said the appointment "was made on the basis of political stabilization, tense relations between the pan-blue and the pan-green camps, and the ministry's missions in the coming year."
Chiou has been apppointed as the new vice premier and Trans-portation and Communications Deputy Minister Chen Chin-jun (
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
Other officials staying in their posts include Central Personnel Administration Minister Chou Hung-hsien (
Chang, chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), was appointed by Chen Shui-bian as the new premier on Monday to succeed Su Tseng-chang (
Chang Chun-hsiung will quit his SEF post upon assuming the premiership.
farewell to Su
In related news, outgoing premier Su became emotional as more than 100 Cabinet members and their staff gathered at the Executive Yuan's lobby yesterday afternoon and threw him a farewell party.
"I must say I apologize to you guys, since many of you also lost your jobs because of me," Su said. "This was not my intention."
Chan Chun-yen (
Su said it was time for him to leave, but he would return with more fresh ideas to serve the people in the future.
additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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<Ex-pilot to lead military
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