Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday said his main missions this year would be to reduce the number of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents and ensure that Taiwan Railways Corp is officially established by January next year.
Wang, who is among the ministers asked to remain in office following a Cabinet reshuffle, spoke with reporters after being sworn in yesterday morning.
“Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) talked to me about the necessity of completing the last mile of corporatizing the Taiwan Railways Administration [TRA],” Wang said.
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Photo: Ting Yi, Taipei Times
“When they asked me to stay, I did not hesitate and promised to do my best... We have achieved so much in the past two years and the last thing that I wanted to do was to leave without accomplishing my goals,” he said.
A draft budget for the soon-to-be-established corporation would be completed next month, Wang said, adding that it would be delivered to the Executive Yuan in May so that it can be deliberated at the legislature in the second half of this year.
The ministry would in April begin seeking individuals to serve on the corporation’s board, he said.
The board would be formed in June and the TRA would be registered as a state-run firm in September, he added.
Regarding traffic safety, Wang said he recruited former Hsinchu deputy mayor Shen Hui-hung (沈慧虹) to run a program to enhance the safety of pedestrians.
“About 300 to 400 pedestrians are killed in traffic accidents every year. I gave her [Shen] the task of enhancing the safety of pedestrians and appropriated sufficient personnel for her to use,” Wang said.
Shen would coordinate with local government officials to provide facilities for pedestrians and ensure covered walkways are not blocked by parked scooters or other objects, he said.
One of the three deputy ministers would be in charge of improving overall road safety across the country, Wang said.
As President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has touted the new Cabinet as “warm” and “resilient,” Wang said he would try to improve labor relations in the transportation sector and address transportation issues facing residents of rural areas.
The ministry has handled labor strikes in the transportation sector, including a seven-day strike by the Taoyuan Union of Pilots in February 2019, a 17-day strike by EVA Airways flight attendants in June 2019, a one-day strike by the Taiwan Railway Labor Union in May last year, a one-day strike by Chunghwa Express workers in September and a strike by Evergreen Airline Services Corp employees during the New Year holiday, Wang said.
“Giving employees a raise is not the point here. What I found was that some employees play an important role in the profitability of the companies, but they were not being paid fairly,” he said.
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