President-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) partial list of picks for the incoming Cabinet drew praise from allies and criticism from opponents yesterday, with reactions largely falling along political lines.
Former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), who Lai named as presumptive premier, is experienced in governance and negotiating political waters, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a news conference in Taipei, adding that he commands confidence.
With a well-rounded resume and reputation for political skills, Cho would likely prove a good leader of the Cabinet and communicate effectively with the legislature, Wu said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Former minister of culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), tapped for vice premier, was a convener at the National Hope Project, the Lai campaign’s task force that wrote his campaign platform, Wu said.
Cho enjoys Lai’s trust, has a good sense for trends in public opinion and is skilled at brokering deals, while Cheng’s involvement in crafting the president-elect’s policies ensured her place in the Cabinet, Wu said.
Regarding National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) — who is set to be the next defense minister, DPP Legislator Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said criticism that Koo lacks military experience is misguided.
Following changes to the Ministry of National Defense’s organization, its administration and leadership have been unified, Chuang said, adding that Taiwan would not be the first nation to name a civilian to run its defense ministry.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智?) said that the DPP officials picked for Lai’s Cabinet are distinguished by checkered ethical records, while the list showed no innovation or initiative.
KMT Taoyuan Councilor Ling Tao (凌濤) said that Lai’s slogan to name an “active and innovative Cabinet,” or an “AI Cabinet,” belies a government with no new ideas.
The “AI” misleads the public into thinking something is being done with artificial intelligence, Ling said.
“The people tapped by Lai are the same politicians who sound like a broken record or a wolf warrior during questioning at the legislature,” he said, adding that “ChatGPT would probably have done better.”
Koo has no military experience and he is known only for making belligerent comments about China, Ling said, adding that Taiwanese should be scared by the prospect of the new administration.
Lai would do well not to give Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Lee Huai-jen (李懷仁) a Cabinet post, as Lee has been caught napping during a legislative session, KMT New Taipei City Councilor Chiang I-chen (江怡臻) said.
Cho talked a lot about innovation at Lai’s news conference, but said nothing about what that would mean when it comes to policymaking, Taiwan People’s Party spokeswoman Wu Yi-hsuan (吳怡萱) said in a statement, adding that Taiwanese would have better luck asking Siri about the “AI” Cabinet.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiao-huang
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
RSS