Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) today said she was “skeptical” of a China Times report that President William Lai (賴清德) is planning to reshuffle his Cabinet this month, replacing many prominent members.
Wu said she had received no information to support the Chinese-language newspaper’s report, adding that she suspected the daily was advocating for personnel changes in an act of political interference.
The reporting on potential Cabinet changes, which would come as Lai approaches the end of his first year in office, are intended to stir up trouble as recall initiatives targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators enter their final stages, she said.
Photo: CNA
A recall movement against KMT lawmakers has led to opposition supporters initiating recall campaigns against DPP legislators.
The China Times, which has historically aligned with the KMT, appears to be pushing for personnel changes, even though the Cabinet has remained strong despite a challenging year for Taiwan, Wu said.
Whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) intends to reshuffle the Cabinet, she would respect the decision, provided that the DPP provide fair reasons for the changes, she said.
The China Times report suggested that the reshuffling would happen sooner and on a larger scale due to the recall movement.
However, linking possible personnel changes to the recall movement is a deliberate tactic to suggest that the DPP governs through party-led directives, which is malicious and inaccurate, Wu said.
The China Times said that Lai would change up his administration to create a “combat-ready Cabinet” and promote members with strong opinions to fight recalls head-on.
Lai would likely reshuffle the Cabinet after May 20, the anniversary of his inauguration, ahead of potential recall votes in July and the following Legislative Yuan by-elections, it said.
Cho would remain in his post, the report said.
The first wave of replacements would include Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and National Development Council Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清), it said.
When asked to respond to the report, Liu Shyh-fang said she was unaware of the changes.
“Thank you for the feedback. I don’t know anything about [a reshuffling]. Please direct questions to Premier Cho,” she said.
In other news, China has allegedly recruited Taiwanese to visit the country under the guise of religious or cultural exchanges, as the Chinese Communist Party intensifies its “united front” tactics against Taiwan, intelligence agencies said.
The exchanges were allegedly facilitated by village wardens and local temples, with organizers paying NT$1,000 per recruit with bonuses for signing on more people.
Liu Shyh-fang said that if evidence was found to support the allegations, the Ministry of the Interior would coordinate with prosecutors and national security units to investigate.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
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