President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday endorsed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General King Pu-tsung’s (金溥聰) involvement in shaping government policies, brushing off concerns about the KMT’s growing control over the administration.
Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, said in an interview with the Taipei Times that King was “reflecting public opinion” when he called Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) last Thursday to express concern over the EPA’s plan to fine people who smoke while walking or driving, arguing that it was proper for King to communicate with officials to make a policy comprehensive.
“It is perfectly right and proper for King to use the party-administration platform for communication and policy coordination with government officials,” Ma said.
Ma said King had originally called Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lin Join-sane (林中森) to discuss the EPA’s proposal, but Lin handed the telephone to Shen, who was in Lin’s office at the time. King also called Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), suggesting that the executive branch should consider public complaints about the proposal before turning it into policy.
“[King] should convey public complaints to the government when he hears those opinions, and he conveyed public opinion via the proper channel by telling it to the Executive Yuan’s secretary-general. What’s wrong with that?” Ma asked.
Ma denied that King had meddled in the EPA proposal when asked about the EPA’s prompt decision to postpone the proposed ban on smoking while walking or driving, as opposed to following due procedure by taking the matter to the premier for discussion and awaiting further instruction. Ma added that the Executive Yuan still had the authority to finalize the proposed policy.
Ma said the party and the government should work together to address public concerns and prevent the government from presenting policies that only cause more public grievance.
Ma also sought to justify the KMT’s influence over legislative and administrative affairs.
“Political parties are election machines to help members hold on to the reins of government. In modern society, however, it is also important for a political party to be involved in legislative affairs and policy coordination after coming into power,” he said.
To seek better performance in the upcoming legislative by-elections next month, the KMT arranged nationwide tours for Ma starting tomorrow and on Sunday.
Ma is scheduled to visit local members in Chiayi and Hualien counties tomorrow and on Sunday, where the by-elections will be held.
He will visit Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties after returning from a state visit to Latin American allies from Monday to next Saturday, the KMT said.
At a separate setting yesterday, KMT Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) told reporters that Ma appeared to be more energetic and passionate during the party’s meetings or when gathering with KMT legislators, possibly because “Ma now enjoys the company of his good friend [KMT Secretary-General] King.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FLORA WANG
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
RSS