Clement Chang (
"President Chen nominated me with the hope of resolving the nation's political confrontations and disagreements among political parties," Chang said at a news conference yesterday.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Chang said he was informed by Chen of the nomination last Friday night when he met with the president.
"I told President Chen that I'm already 75, wouldn't that be too old for the job? And he told me that I am still healthy, have a young mind and can still serve the nation," said Chang, founder of Tamkang University.
A member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), Chang served as speaker of the Taipei City Council from 1981 to 1989 and was minister of transportation and communications from 1989 to 1991.
Chang's candidacy, however, has met with challenges in the Legislative Yuan in light of his resignation in 1991 from his ministerial post over allegations involving the purchase of a large number of shares in the Kuo Hua Life Insurance company.
Chang was attacked by opposition legislators as well as some DPP members as a corrupt politician unfit to be president of the Control Yuan.
Chang yesterday dismissed the allegations as a "misunderstanding," saying that he was never indicted in the case and was only asked to testify as a witness.
Chang added that Chen, who then served as a legislator and criticized him because of the case, later understood the issue and that "they had kept up a good friendship ever since."
Chang yesterday said that he originally didn't want to make any public comments until the Legislative Yuan approved the nomination. But in view of the attacks on the Presidential Office's list of 29 nominees for positions in the Control Yuan -- which Chang called "garbage" -- Chang said he can't help but come out and say something.
Noting that he is a member of the KMT's Central Evaluation Committee, Chang showed the press his KMT permanent member's card, adding that the attack from KMT legislators "is totally unreasonable."
Chang revealed that he had tried to arrange a visit with KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
unchanged list
Meanwhile, Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said the Presidential Office will not change its list of 29 nominees for positions in the Control Yuan.
In a bid for the public to gain a better understanding of each of the nominees, the Presidential Office will arrange an event tomorrow to introduce them. Su said that he will also accompany the nominees in a visit to the Legislative Yuan in the near future to try to win legislators' support.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS