A total of 19 Control Yuan members yesterday issued a joint statement of condemnation against Control Yuan President Wang Chien-shien over his remarks that the government watchdog might as well shut down because it was not able to perform its purpose of serving justice.
“As the president of the Control Yuan, [Wang] made comments dishonoring the authority of the Control Yuan specified in the Constitution, which was unbelievable,” the Control Yuan members said in the statement.
Wang, known for his outspokenness, said on Wednesday that he was upset after the Control Yuan turned down a second attempt on Tuesday to impeach Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong (張通榮), who has been convicted of influence peddling and interfering with police matters.
The Control Yuan has been failing at its duties for a long time, Wang said, adding that Control Yuan positions were often used as bargaining chips or rewards for political favors.
The Control Yuan has 29 members, including Wang and Vice President Chen Jinn-lih (陳進利).
The 19 Control Yuan members said it was very surprising that Wang deliberately contravened Article 12 of the Control Yuan Act (監察法), which stipulates that the president of the Control Yuan must not interfere with cases being dealt with by Control Yuan members.
Comments made by Wang that they were nominated as Control Yuan members in return for political favors were unfounded and baseless, the statement said.
In the case of Chang, the Control Yuan members said the Control Yuan failed to pass the impeachment motion because most of the Control Yuan members participating in a review of the case were of the opinion that the case was connected with defective democracy and local politics.
The way Chang handled the incident was disgusting, but did not constitute a reason for impeachment, the Control Yuan members said.
The decision not to impeach Chang was not an arbitrary decision, but reflected how most of the Control Yuan members involved thought about the case, they said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who is current on a five-country tour of Taiwan’s allies, disagreed with Wang’s comment that Control Yuan positions are bargaining chips or rewards for political favors.
“I’m afraid there is a great misunderstanding,” Ma said. “We don’t need to use governmental positions to bargain for or reward anything.”
However, Wang remained unconvinced and said in an interview with a radio station in Taipei yesterday that the situation was actually slightly better during his term because most of the current Control Yuan members were nominated by Ma when he was at the peak of his influence.
Wang said he feared the situation would worsen next year as Ma will have very little influence, both because he is nearing the end of his time in office and because of his plunging approval ratings, so he will have to appease many people in the seven-in-one elections coming up next year.
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
BREAKTHROUGH: The US is making chips on par in yield and quality with Taiwan, despite people saying that it could not happen, the official said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has begun producing advanced 4-nanometer (nm) chips for US customers in Arizona, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, a milestone in the semiconductor efforts of the administration of US President Joe Biden. In November last year, the commerce department finalized a US$6.6 billion grant to TSMC’s US unit for semiconductor production in Phoenix, Arizona. “For the first time ever in our country’s history, we are making leading edge 4-nanometer chips on American soil, American workers — on par in yield and quality with Taiwan,” Raimondo said, adding that production had begun in recent
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
RSS