Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday called for a comprehensive Cabinet reshuffle, saying the results of the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24 constituted a vote of no confidence in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration.
KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) losses in the elections showed that Cabinet policies no longer have the backing of Taiwanese and it had lost its legitimacy.
“The Cabinet should immediately carry out a complete reshuffle,” Tseng told a news conference in Taipei, adding that in particular, the ministries of education, economic affairs and health and welfare, as well as the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, the National Communications Commission and the national security team required a shake-up.
Photo: CNA
Tseng called on the government to select Cabinet members based on their competence, rather than political affiliation or ideology.
The news conference was called one day after Premier William Lai (賴清德) approved the resignations of Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀), Environmental Protection Administration Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) and Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢).
KMT Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) said that the DPP defeated the KMT by 3.08 million votes in the 2016 presidential race, but was crushed by the KMT by 1.2 million votes in last month’s elections, meaning it lost as many as 4.28 million votes in the past two years and 10 months.
The results show people were disappointed with the Tsai administration’s performance, Ko said, adding that it was not enough to only dismiss the three ministers, as well as Chen In-chin (陳英鈐), who resigned as chairman of the CEC, and Wu Yin-ning (吳音寧), who resigned as Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co general manager.
KMT Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that the results of referendum held alongside the elections showed that people have rejected the Tsai administration’s energy policies, so Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) should step down to take responsibility.
Lin also called for the removal of Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), under whose watch a fire at Taipei Hospital in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District (新莊) in August killed 13 people and flu vaccines last month were found to be flawed.
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