Government officials yesterday said that there is no plan to restructure the Cabinet amid speculation that a minor government reshuffle is under way and Vice Premier Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) is to be appointed Presidential Office secretary-general.
Local media reported that Lin would be appointed to the Presidential Office and replaced by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福), while DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) would succeed Hung as the party’s secretary-general.
Minister of Labor Kuo Fang-yu (郭芳煜) will be replaced by Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) or Environmental Protection Administration Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) after a national conference on pension reform on Sunday, the reports said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Tzou-yien (林奏延) and Minister of Finance Sheu Yu-jer (許虞哲) would also be replaced, the reports said.
Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) yesterday said there are no plans for a Cabinet reshuffle in the near term, adding that the vice premier would remain at his post.
The vacancy created by the resignation of former Presidential Office secretary-general Lin Bih-jaw’s (林碧炤) on Oct. 20 last year has yet to be filled.
Lin Hsi-yao could be a suitable candidate for Presidential Office secretary-general, as he has been a close aide of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and maintains good relations with different DPP factions, DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said.
Lin Tsung-hsien — who has been rumored as a possible pick for transport, interior or agriculture minister — said he knew nothing about the rumors.
A Cabinet reshuffle has been the subject of speculation for some time, as Tsai’s administration has seen its popularity decline.
Mayors and county commissioners serving second terms are likely candidates for Cabinet positions, because their appointments would not trigger by-elections as they can appoint their substitutes, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said, adding that “a minor Cabinet reshuffle around the Lunar New Year holiday is normal.”
Tuan rejected the speculation, saying that he could not be nominated as DPP secretary-general, because it is a full-time position, which he could not take as a legislator.
“The DPP secretary-general has to aid the chairperson and mediate disputes. My appointment would have the opposite effect and turn party headquarters into a war zone,” he said.
“People would be shocked to learn what positions I have been offered,” Tuan said, without elaborating.
Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media. The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground. Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling. When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows. The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing
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