Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) is to be sworn in as the new premier on Monday, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
The appointment came in the wake of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) heavy losses in the Nov. 24 local elections, which led to Tsai’s resignation as party chairperson and the Cabinet’s mass resignation on Thursday.
At a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Tsai said that she asked Su to take the role as he possesses three characteristics the nation needs at this moment: experience, boldness and the ability to get things done.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Su’s philosophy of “breaking new ground” was evidenced by his campaign last year for the mayorship of New Taipei City through his employment of young campaign employees, innovative policymaking or creativity in promotions, she said.
In addition to fulfilling its promise to “make Taiwan great,” the administration would from now on focus more on equitable distribution of public resources and caring for disadvantaged people, Tsai said.
The nation is facing numerous challenges this year, including a US-China trade dispute and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) proposal to introduce a Hong Kong-style “one country, two systems” formula for Taiwan, she said.
“This is a year for us to strive to improve people’s lives, defend democracy and safeguard our sovereignty,” she said.
Tsai said that she would work closely with Su, whose decades of experience would enable him to lead with conviction as they help the nation navigate ever-changing international situations.
She extended her gratitude to outgoing Premier William Lai (賴清德) for his “pragmatic” approach that has helped the government achieve many of its goals in terms of reform and development.
“This is a daunting task at a critical moment,” Su said, thanking Lai for his team’s outstanding governance, which has laid the groundwork for Su’s team.
He added that he would strive for even greater achievement.
Citing a quotation often misattributed to former British prime minister Winston Churchill, Su said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal.”
Churchill during World War II led the UK through its darkest hours, and after the war he again served as leader to the great acclaim of Queen Elizabeth II and the public, despite his age, said Su, who is 71.
“I shall roll up my sleeves and lead my team to meet the public’s expectations and bring the government in sync with public opinion,” he said.
Comparing himself to a “middle relief pitcher” for the DPP and Su as the “closer,” Lai praised Su’s “invaluable” experience and wished him good luck.
Later yesterday, former Taichung mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who lost his re-election bid in last year’s elections, said on Facebook that he has accepted Su’s offer to serve as minister of transportation and communications.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus ridiculed Su, Lin and another potential Cabinet member, former DPP legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), for their unsuccessful campaigns last year, calling them a “union of losers” and members of a “DPP veterans’ affairs council.”
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
‘SALAMI-SLICING’: Beijing’s ‘gray zone’ tactics around the Pratas Islands have been slowly intensifying, with the PLA testing Taiwan’s responses and limits, an expert said The Ministry of National Defense yesterday condemned an intrusion by a Chinese drone into the airspace of the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) as a serious disruption of regional peace. The ministry said it detected the Chinese surveillance and reconnaissance drone entering the southwestern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone early yesterday, and it approached the Pratas Islands at 5:41am. The ministry said it immediately notified the garrison stationed in the area to enhance aerial surveillance and alert levels, and the drone was detected in the islands’ territorial airspace at 5:44am, maintaining an altitude outside the effective range of air-defense weaponry. Following
RSS