Premier-designate Yu Shyi-kun yesterday presented his fourth and final round of Cabinet appointees, including the new economic affairs and finance ministers, completing the reshuffled Cabinet which is to be sworn in on Feb. 1.
Lee Yung-shan (
Christine Tsung (
"Expertise, personality and suitability are my main criteria for making the nominations," Yu said, downplaying media speculation that Lee's appointment was a decision made overnight.
Just hours before midnight on Wednesday, Benny Hu (
But according to local media reports, Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英) -- Hu's former boss and current chairman of the CDIB -- opposed the appointment, prompting Yu and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to reconsider their choice and turn to former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) finance wizard.
Yu stressed yesterday that he had the final say on all Cabinet appointments.
The new finance minister had turned down the offer at least three times before he finally agreed to take the post, Yu said.
Flatly denying that cronyism was also part of the decision-making process for the economic affairs and finance posts, Yu said that his ideal candidates were those with "a combination of industrial, academic and governmental backgrounds."
Assuring the media that they are suited for their new posts, Lee and Tsung yesterday outlined their qualifications for the tasks they have been assigned.
"My widespread contacts within the banking sector and academic circles will facilitate my future role as a bridge between the government and the private sector," Lee said.
Tsung said: "In the US, I had 15 years of experience working for the high-tech industry, a steel company and other traditional industries including the manufacturing sector."
Tsung added that she would soon relinquish her US citizenship before taking office.
Praising his successor, vice premier-designate Lin Hsin-yi (
Lin said he believed the two appointees would serve the people of Taiwan with a "customer-orientated" attitude.
Lee, 63, who holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin, had previously served as president of Chiao Tung Bank (交通銀行) and director of the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica.
Tsung, 54, earned an MBA from the University of Missouri and studied management for one year at Washington University's graduate school before she worked as a marketing manager with Columbia Pictures and subsequently deputy CEO with US consumer-electronics company Electrolux.
She also served as a finance officer for the city government of Poway, near San Diego, California.
Other appointments yesterday included Lin Lin-san (林陵三) -- who will be promoted from vice minister to head up the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Meanwhile, Lin's predecessor Yeh Chu-lan (
Incoming Minister without Portfolio Kuo Yao-chi (
Hu Sheng-cheng (
Ouyang Min-shen (
Altogether Yu's new Cabinet contains 39 members, of which 23 posts have changed hands and 16 have been retained by members of the previous Cabinet. With an average age of 53, 31 are male and eight are female.Also See Stories:
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