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 Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi yesterday said that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report. Under Japan’s security legislation,
RSS