New Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) yesterday officially took over from his predecessor, Yen Ming (嚴明), at a handover ceremony presided by Minister Without Portfolio Lin Jung-tzer (林政則) at the Executive Yuan.
However, legislators criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) over what they said was instability in the senior military ranks and questioned the circumstances of Yen’s resignation on Tuesday.
Some legislators said Yen was forced out because Ma wanted to install his own man in the position.
Photo: Luo Tien-bin, Taipei Times
“We know that Kao is from Ma’s inner circles,” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said in a press interview. “He is the younger brother of Kao Lang (高朗), who was Presidential Office deputy secretary-general and was a top aide to Ma. So the new minister is the kind of person who Ma sees in the mirror, someone similar to himself.”
“I see it as purely a patronage appointment, to reward Kao and his brother for their faithful service to Ma,” Tsai said.
Taiwan Solidarity Unio Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said Yen’s resignation and the appointment of Kao had a knock-on effect of job shuffles involving seven senior positions in the ministry’s top hierarchy, which has led to instability and disquiet among military officials.
“This is a big job shuffle by Ma, because he wants to assure his personal safety from judicial probes when his presidency term is up in 2016,” Chou said. “Yen was forced out because he had a strong personal character; he was unyielding and would not be obsequious to Ma’s demands.”
She also said Ma wanted to manipulate the defense ministry position to head off trouble in next year’s presidential election, which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is expected to lose.
“After the KMT’s poor results in last year’s nine-in-one elections, Ma’s leadership was undermined and he had to resign his party chairmanship. The public is angry at his bad governance,” Chou said. “If the KMT lose big in 2016, there could be public pressure on Ma to demand a judicial inquiry into his questionable finances and links to big business.”
“Therefore, Ma needs a minister of national defense who is his stooge. If public protests against Ma in 2016 get out of hand, then the armed forces will be called in to control the situation, but also to protect Ma’s personal safety for his exit,” Chou said.
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