Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday criticized Premier Yu Shyi-kun for what she said was his lack of ability and courage in failing to take the responsibility for the grassroots financial reform mess.
Lu said Yu's mishandling of the affair has resulted in President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) becoming the scapegoat for the policy failure.
"The man with power just hid behind and left the responsibility for the blame on the man who does not have the power," Lu said.
She made the remarks while receiving a delegation of certified accountants from Taiwan and the US at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
Yu submitted his resignation to Chen last Friday, vowing to shoulder the responsibility for the grassroots financial reforms.
Chen visited Yu's residence Saturday night to persuade the premier to stay on the job to accomplish those reforms.
Although Chen expressed gratitude to Yu after the premier retracted his resignation on Sunday, Lu condemned Yu for what she said was his incompetence which had led to the president becoming the target of public criticism.
Lu said that the huge demonstration by farmers and fishermen in Taipei last Saturday had actually lost its focus and was a result of malicious political mobilization.
"Most of those farmers and fishermen do not oppose the government's plan to reorganize the credit departments of the farmers' and fishermen's associations, but they just took on the streets to urge the government to protect their rights in face of Taiwan's entry into the World Trade Organization," Lu said.
"But a handful of members, who control the credit departments and created the non-performing loan problems, manipulated those innocent people into boycotting the government's financial reforms," she said.
Lu said that the Executive Yuan had failed to properly evaluate the situation and ease grassroots-level anger.
Therefore, she said, Chen had no choice but to jump to the forefront to solve the crisis.
"Farmers and fishermen insisted on joining the protest because they are worried about their livelihoods," Lu said.
"If the Executive Yuan had properly communicated with the heads of local governments in dealing with these issues, the situation would not have gone so far."
"The media always blames the president for his policymaking. However, people should understand who is actually in charge of the Cabinet, including the Council of Agriculture," she said.
"The president finally stood on the front line because he could not allow the situation to worsen," she said.
Commenting on the search for new chiefs for the Council of Agriculture and Ministry of Finance, Lu urged the public to recommend the best candidates to Yu. She also urged Yu to recruit real talent instead of acquaintances.
"We can't accept the nomination of a Hakka as the head of the council just because the outgoing chairman is a Hakka," she said.
Lu said the next council chief should not only have expertise in agricultural economics but also have experience in international marketing .
Reacting to Lu's criticism, Yu told reporters he would "accept criticism from anyone" and would respect Lu's suggestions about the new Cabinet members.
"No one should blame the wrong person," the premier said. "The Executive Yuan should assume full responsibility."
"I also expect the media to give me more time to look for suitable candidates," he said.
Yu made the comments after a meeting of the DPP's Central Standing Committee. Yu told reporters that he and Chen had agreed that professional capabilities should be the prime factor in choosing Cabinet candidates.
(with additional reporting by staff reporter Lin Mei-chun)
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS