Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦), who leaves his post today, yesterday remained tight-lipped as to whether he was offered another job by the Executive Yuan, saying that he has no further instructions from the Cabinet on the matter.
Premier William Lai (賴清德) last week appointed Taiwan International Ports Corp chairman Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) as the new minister of transportation and communications.
The inauguration ceremony is scheduled for 10am today.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
However, a report published by the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) yesterday quoted a source as saying that the Cabinet is seriously considering putting Hochen in charge of the soon-to-be-established Railway Center, which is part of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program.
The center is to be set up to ensure that Taiwan is equipped with the technical capacity to upgrade its railway industry.
Hochen, a transportation expert, has a good reputation in the industry, making him an ideal candidate for the job, the source told the Liberty Times, adding that the Cabinet would confer with him on the matter before making any official announcement.
In response, Hochen said that he does not have any further information, adding that the statutes governing the establishment of the Railway Center have yet to be approved by the Legislative Yuan.
Lai said that Hochen would be reassigned to a different position, without specifying it.
Hochen was known at the Legislative Yuan for being “a tough nut to crack” when it came to construction projects proposed by legislators.
However, he denied at his farewell party that he was forced to resign for being difficult.
His departure was due to the government’s plan to reshuffle personnel based on its priorities, Hochen said.
He has already “run an extra lap on the track,” he said, adding that he has no worries or anxieties regarding reassignment.
When asked about his unfulfilled goals during his term as transportation minister, Hochen cited his failure to persuade the public that waiving the toll fees for freeway drivers who choose to drive at midnight or early mornings during major holidays would not ease holiday traffic.
After statistics collected by the electronic toll collection system showed the risks of driving at night, the government still chose to let the wrong policy through, he said.
When asked about what he would do next, he said he would get his bicycle fixed and use the public transport system to travel around Taiwan.
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