Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya (張博雅) yesterday said that the Control Yuan’s investigations have often exposed “gaps” between the regulations and laws followed by administrative agencies and the demands of contemporary society, which inevitably elicit public discontent while “the administration units on the face of it are executing policies in accordance with the laws.”
The Control Yuan had a routine “inspection tour” of the Executive Yuan yesterday, in which Chang said that the Control Yuan’s reports on the misconduct of the Executive Yuan and government bodies have all been cited by non-governmental groups and media, showing that the reports are a crucial source of reference for the government.
The Control Yuan reports include the cases of the MeHAS City (美河市) residential project and the Taipei Dome project, which have recently dominated headlines due to Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) examination of the terms of the outsourcing contracts.
Others cited by Chang are those involving “fake farmers” claiming regular subsidies for farmers aged 65 and over and the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) party assets.
She said the Control Yuan impeached 22 people last year and a total of 15 impeachments passed, with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) — which each saw five of their members admonished — topping the list.
Among the 114 correction cases passed and 123 corrections made, the MOJ and the agencies under it again stood out with 16 corrections.
The Ministry of National Defense had 15 corrections, the MOTC 14 and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare 12 each.
Chang urged the Executive Yuan to take the agency’s impeachment and correction cases more seriously to make the government’s policy execution more comprehensive and appropriate, and to amend regulations that have been widely deemed unreasonable and inappropriate.
“The results of the nine-in-one elections last year have clearly shown that the public strongly yearn for better governance,” she said.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國), in a speech addressing the Control Yuan members, reported that the the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics last week raised its forecast for full-year GDP growth to 3.43 percent, which is the highest in the past three years, and said that the basic principle of governmental work in the future will be “safeguarding social justice, protecting a sustainable environment and pursuing economic prosperity.”
“The goals will be, by accommodating different generational groups’ needs, assisting the young to have a better future, ensuring the old people’s welfare, finding opportunities for the enterprises and providing an environment for vulnerable groups to live with dignity,” Mao said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
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