President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday named Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) as head of the Cabinet after Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) resigned in the wake of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) rout in the nine-in-one elections on Saturday.
Mao has been vice premier for a year and 10 months, meaning he is familiar with government affairs, a trait that will help make his takeover seamless and stabilize the Cabinet, Presidential Office spokesperson Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國) said yesterday.
Mao is set to become the fifth premier in Ma’s more than six-year tenure. He has worked in the Ma Ying-jeou administration since the president took office in May 2008, starting as minister of transportation and communications before being promoted to vice premier in February last year.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) was unimpressed by the choice, asking if there was no other capable person that could be chosen for the role.
“In Mao, all we see is another one of Ma’s [Ying-jeou] puppets,” Chen said.
Fellow DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) shared the view, saying: “This is old wine in a new bottle. Mao’s time as a minister was not without controversy and as vice premier — a role in which he is meant to double as the convener of the Executive Yuan’s food safety task force — he has been incompetent.”
KMT Legislator Chiang Hui-chen (江惠貞) also voiced doubts about Mao’s appointment, saying it was “understandable ... if continuity is all that matters, but from the perspective of political stability, it might require a second thought.”
Other legislators apparently also feel that Mao is not the best candidate for the job, since, as of Tuesday, 33 KMT lawmakers and one independent have signed a petition urging Ma Ying-jeou to nominate Central Bank Governor Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南) instead.
KMT Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) initiated the signature drive on Monday and garnered 34 lawmakers’ signatures within 24 hours, mostly from members of his party.
Lee said that Perng is not only renowned for his financial expertise and determined leadership domestically, he has also won plaudits abroad, citing the 11 “A” ratings that Global Finance magazine has given Perng for being — according to the publication — one of the world’s best central bank heads.
“President Ma should go see Perng and ask him earnestly to be the next premier,” Lee said.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said he had no objection to Lee’s suggestion, but added that he deemed it highly unlikely that Perng would agree.
This is not the first time that Perng has been named as an ideal candidate for premier.
However, he has said before that his role as central bank governor would be his last in the public sector.
Adding to the dissent were KMT legislators Sun Ta-chien (孫大千), Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) and Lin Kuo-cheng (林國正), who released a joint statement challenging the decision to install Mao as premier.
The trio praised Mao’s capability as a government official, but said he is not the right person to show the Cabinet’s determination to make big changes and his selection would not meet the public’s expectations.
The three lawmakers said the arrangement would have only a provisional effect in maintaining stability and would fail to regain the public’s trust.
“We urge the president to reconsider the appointment,” they added.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) and many other Cabinet members are to stay on in their posts with Mao at the helm.
Late last night, Minister Without Portfolio John Deng (鄧振中) was named to replace Minister of Economic Affairs Woody Duh (杜紫軍), whose position would be minister without portfolio, sources said.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
The Central Election Commission has amended election and recall regulations to require elected office candidates to provide proof that they have no Chinese citizenship, a Cabinet report said. The commission on Oct. 29 last year revised the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法), the Executive Yuan said in a report it submitted to the legislature for review. The revision requires Chinese citizens applying for permanent residency to submit notarial documents showing that they have lost their Chinese household record and have renounced — or have never
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 12:37pm today, with clear shaking felt across much of northern Taiwan. There were no immediate reports of damage. The epicenter of the quake was 16.9km east-southeast of Yilan County Hall offshore at a depth of 66.8km, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. The maximum intensity registered at a 4 in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳) on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. Other parts of Yilan, as well as certain areas of Hualien County, Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu County, Taichung and Miaoli County, recorded intensities of 3. Residents of Yilan County and Taipei received
Taiwan has secured another breakthrough in fruit exports, with jujubes, dragon fruit and lychees approved for shipment to the EU, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency on Thursday received formal notification of the approval from the EU, the ministry said, adding that the decision was expected to expand Taiwanese fruit producers’ access to high-end European markets. Taiwan exported 126 tonnes of lychees last year, valued at US$1.48 million, with Japan accounting for 102 tonnes. Other export destinations included New Zealand, Hong Kong, the US and Australia, ministry data showed. Jujube exports totaled 103 tonnes, valued at
BIG SPENDERS: Foreign investors bought the most Taiwan equities since 2005, signaling confidence that an AI boom would continue to benefit chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) market capitalization swelled to US$2 trillion for the first time following a 4.25 percent rally in its American depositary receipts (ADR) overnight, putting the world’s biggest contract chipmaker sixth on the list of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalization, just behind Amazon.com Inc. The site CompaniesMarketcap.com ranked TSMC ahead of Saudi Aramco and Meta Platforms Inc. The Taiwanese company’s ADRs on Tuesday surged to US$385.75 on the New York Stock Exchange, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications led to chip supply constraints and boost revenue growth to record-breaking levels. Each TSMC ADR represents
RSS