The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday accused Central Personnel Administration (CPA) Minister Chen Ching-hsiou (陳清秀) of using his office to campaign for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) told a press conference that the caucus had received complaints about Chen convening a meeting for officials from central government bureaus last Friday, during which he allegedly urged participants to go out and vote in the legislative by-election for Taipei’s Da-an District (大安) on Saturday.
“Chen obviously violated the principles of political neutrality as a public official,” Lee said.
DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said this was not the first incident in which Chen had used his position to campaign for his party, adding that the CPA on Tuesday night also issued a rare press release encouraging civil servants to cast their ballots in the legislative by-election.
“The sensitive remark in the press statement was removed a few hours after the statement was posted on the CPA’s Web site, which tells us that Chen was afraid of being criticized over the matter,” Chiu said, calling the practice “shameful.”
She asked the government to discipline Chen.
At a separate setting yesterday, CPA Chief Secretary Chang Nien-chung (張念中) said the CPA had no intention to ask people to vote for Chiang Nai-shin (蔣乃辛).
“Our intention was to encourage civil servants to participate in public affairs,” Chang said.
In the press statement issued by the CPA on Tuesday night, it urged civil servants to cast their ballots in the Da-an by-election. It also said that civil servants should abide by a bill, passed by the legislature’s Judicial and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee on March 19, designed to ensure their neutrality.
“The main point of the press release was about administrative neutrality. The appeal to civil servants asking them to participate in the vote was just mentioned in passing … We don’t want the public to be indifferent to public affairs or politics,” Chang said.
Chang said it was customary for the CPA to remind civil servants of the need to maintain neutrality ahead of nationwide elections.
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