Saying it was difficult to figure out a sensible explanation for the Cabinet reshuffle that was announced yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) demanded a completely new lineup.
“Despite the fact that Taiwanese remain unsatisfied with the performance of those officials in charge of economic affairs, they have been retained. We urge President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to change the entire Cabinet,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Yu-sheng (林育生) said he suspected the change was to allow Ma to appoint his confidant King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) as Taiwan’s representative to the US and to neutralize the DPP’s no-confidence motion against the Cabinet.
“There was no political reason to explain the replacement of the foreign minister. Nor could we understand why Council of Labor Affairs minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) was not replaced, despite the fact she holds different views to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on labor policy,” Lin said.
The appointment of former presidential spokesperson Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), who has no prior experience in cross-strait affairs, as Mainland Affairs Council minister and King as envoy to the US showed that Ma always hand-picks candidates for key positions from among his inner circle, DPP lawmakers Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) said.
Tsai said he did not expect groups of politicians with a similar mindset to come up with fresh ideas or new models which could revitalize Taiwan’s sluggish economy.
Meanwhile, pan-blue lawmakers expressed mixed reviews.
“I fail to see why Ma replaced officials in charge of cross-strait affairs and diplomacy when people are concerned with economic problems,” KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said.
“This amounts to no reshuffle at all because the ones who should be replaced remain in the Cabinet,” she added, demanding that Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Yiin Chii-ming (尹啟銘) and Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) be replaced.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Thomas Lee (李桐豪) echoed Lo’s views, saying Ma has not responded “a bit” to people’s demands for a Cabinet reshuffle.
The problems facing people are economic and they want a completely new team to tackle the country’s financial policies, he said.
Another, more serious problem related to Ma’s style of governance, highlighted by the Cabinet reshuffle, was “cronyism” — demonstrated by his appointments of Wang Yu-chi and King, who are two of Ma’s closest confidants, Lee added.
“The appointments of Wang [Yu-chi] and King manifest Ma’s bias and prejudice,” he said.
KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), on the other hand, praised the appointments of King, designated foreign minister David Lin (林永樂) and Taiwan’s outgoing representative to the US Jason Yuan (袁健生) as the secretary-general of the National Security Council.
In related developments, the DPP said its “Reshuffle the Cabinet, save the economy” campaign has picked up momentum with 80,000 printed promotional materials set to be distributed across the country in three days.
The party called for supporters to call the legislators of their constituencies and demand that lawmakers, KMT lawmakers in particular, support the DPP’s no-confidence motion which is scheduled to be voted upon on Saturday.
The PFP yesterday added that if Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) failed to give a promise by tomorrow that his Cabinet will properly address the issues related to electricity hikes, youth unemployment and increases in consumer prices by the end of this month, the party will vote in favor of the no-confidence motion against him.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS