Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) was named the new premier yesterday, as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) urged the new Cabinet to promote dialogue between the government and the opposition.
"Mayor Hsieh is a political talent that's hard to come by. I hereby appoint Hsieh to be the new premier and entrust him with the task of forming the new Cabinet," Chen said at a news conference at the Presidential Office yesterday, as Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Presidential Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Hsieh looked on.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The new Cabinet will be a one of consultation, dialogue and stability," Chen said.
Outgoing Premier Yu Shyi-kun and his Cabinet members resigned on Monday to make way for the new team. The new Cabinet will take office on Feb. 1, along with the new legislature.
Calling Hsieh "the best mayor of a special municipality," Chen said he had known Hsieh for "more than a quarter of a century" since they worked together in the dangwai ("outside the Chinese Nationalist Party") opposition group.
"Along the way, we have fought side by side and engaged in gentlemanly battles, but in the end we have become the finest partners through mutual assistance and a tacit understanding," Chen said.
He said that Hsieh's appointment was significant for three reasons: it symbolized the upgrading of local government, provided greater balance between the south and the north of the country and demonstrated the importance of negotiation.
"[Hsieh] is the first ever head of a local government to be directly appointed to the office of premier, thereby serving as a bridge for relations between the central and local governments," Chen said.
As premier, Hsieh would also introduce a southern perspective to government, which had tended to analyze domestic issues from a "Taipei perspective" in the past, Chen said.
"Mayor Hsieh used to do gymnastics, so there's no question about his ability to be flexible," Chen said. "Mayor Hsieh is the best choice for starting discussions and negotiations over creating a stable new environment."
Referring to his New Year message which promised negotiation and dialogue, Chen said he "hopes the new Cabinet will engage in dialogue and negotiations with the opposition, seeking political stability, public welfare, ethnic harmony and cross-strait peace."
Chen also congratulated Yu and expressed gratitude for the Cabinet's performance under Yu's leadership.
After stepping down as premier on Feb. 1, Chen said that Yu would be appointed Presidential Office Secretary-General, replacing Su Tseng-chang, who will assume the chairmanship of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) next week.
Chen also said that, "Taiwan is still in a phase of searching for cross-party cooperation, the basis for which is still weak."
"Although we have a chance to open the door to reconciliation and cooperation, we are still hesitant to take critical steps," he said. "We will not give up on this path, however."
Hsieh thanked Chen for his appointment, while noting that he felt rather "terrified that I will not have the ability to accomplish this historic mission."
He added that he would work with determination and confidence, pledging to pursue political and social stability as well as cross-strait peace upon the foundations paved by Yu. Cross-party reconciliation and political stability would be the new Cabinet's top priorities, he added.
"What Taiwan needs now is a new `mode,' a new system," Hsieh said. "This new mode will be more complicated than political struggle, more time-consuming and requiring more patience and wisdom. This new mode I am talking about is negotiation and cooperation."
While Hsieh is expected to announce a new Cabinet line-up in a few days, the ministers of defense and foreign affairs and the chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council are expected to retain their posts.
The office of Kaohsiung mayor left vacant by Hsieh is likely to be filled by Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) in the short term.
Also see stories:
ACTION PLAN: Taiwan would expand procurement from the US and encourage more companies to invest in the US to deepen bilateral cooperation, Lai said The government would not impose reciprocal tariffs in retaliation against US levies, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he announced five strategies to address the issue, including pledging to increase Taiwanese companies’ investments in the US. Lai has in the past few days met with administrative and national security officials, as well as representatives from various industries, to explore countermeasures after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday last week announced a 32 percent duty on Taiwanese imports. In a video released yesterday evening, Lai said that Taiwan would not retaliate against the US with higher tariffs and Taiwanese companies’ commitments to
‘SPECIAL CHANNEL’: Taipei’s most important tasks are to stabilize industries affected by Trump’s trade tariffs and keep negotiations with Washington open, a source said National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) arrived in the US for talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel,” the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on Jan. 20. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was also a part of the delegation. The visit came days after China concluded war games around Taiwan and amid Trump’s
Intelligence agents have recorded 510,000 instances of “controversial information” being spread online by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so far this year, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report yesterday, as it warned of artificial intelligence (AI) being employed to generate destabilizing misinformation. The bureau submitted a written report to the Legislative Yuan in preparation for National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today. The CCP has been using cognitive warfare to divide Taiwanese society by commenting on controversial issues such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) investments in the
HELPING HAND: The steering committee of the National Stabilization Fund is expected to hold a meeting to discuss how and when to utilize the fund to help buffer the sell-off The TAIEX plunged 2,065.87 points, or 9.7 percent, to close at 19,232.35 yesterday, the highest single-day percentage loss on record, as investors braced for US President Donald Trump’s tariffs after an extended holiday weekend. Amid the pessimistic atmosphere, 945 listed companies led by large-cap stocks — including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Largan Precision Co (大立光) — fell by the daily maximum of 10 percent at the close, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. The number of listed companies ending limit-down set a new record, the exchange said. The TAIEX plunged by daily maxiumu in just
RSS