First Lady Wu Shu-chen (
Tainan Deputy County Commissioner Lin Wen-ting (
Tainan County Commissioner Chen Tang-shan (
But the deputy commissioner said Wu tried to influence the process because she favored another person for the county post.
Both President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) camp and Wu claimed such charges were groundless.
The festive ambiance of the inaugural events was nearly spoiled by the unexpected change in the Cabinet lineup Friday.
Chen Tang-shan's refusal caught the new government by surprise, forcing a hasty search for a replacement. As it turned out, National Cheng Kung University President Weng Cheng-i (翁政義) assumed the position without much time to ponder his decision.
The scenario was reportedly attributed to the disparate opinions on the replacement for the Tainan county commissioner, with Wu allegedly insisting that DPP lawmaker Su Huan-chih (
"Why is it that [the pick of an acting county magistrate] has anything to do with me? ... How could I intervene in such a matter?" Wu said. "How could I have any say about it, when Lin I-hsiung (
In the process of forming the Cabinet, President Chen invited three current county chiefs to join the new government, while leaving the problem of succession to those stepping up.
Current regulations state that the final decision is in the hands of the interior ministry.
While Chen Tang-shan had insisted on Lin, the DPP was also considering others, such as Su.
Poor coordination over the issue led to confusion, yet after a May 17 meeting of DPP factions, a consensus was reached that Chen would step in.
However, a day later, after a meeting with President Chen, Su emerged as the favored candidate.
Wu acknowledged she had became acquainted with Su when he worked at Chen's law firm from 1983 to 1984, but she insisted this association did not mean she had exerted any influence on the selection of the acting commissioner.
"Why am I embroiled in such hot water? It is not worthwhile for me to comment on such nonsense," she said.
Vice Minister of the Interior-designate Lee Yi-yang (
"Wu has never meddled in Chen's administration, no matter what Chen's position is," Lee said.
"The first lady is renowned for standing aloof from politics, not to mention not sticking her foot into personnel arrangements." Lee said the rumors were spread with malicious intent.
In response to the controversy, Su said on Friday that he simply abided by the president's choice. "Both President Chen and Chairman Lin approached me during the process when they were determining the candidate, but Wu has never been in touch with me," Su said.
"Lin's charge is absurd, and such an allegation has tarnished the name of the DPP and the first lady," he added.
TECH EFFECT: While Chiayi County was the oldest region in the nation, Hsinchu county and city, home of the nation’s chip industry, were the youngest, the report showed Seven of the nation’s administrative regions, encompassing 57.2 percent of Taiwan’s townships and villages, became “super-aged societies” in June, the Ministry of the Interior said in its latest report. A region is considered super-aged if 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or older. The ministry report showed that Taiwan had 4,391,744 people aged 65 or older as of June, representing 18.76 percent of the total population and an increase of 1,024,425 people compared with August 2018. In June, the nation’s elderly dependency ratio was 27.3 senior citizens per 100 working-aged people, an increase of 7.39 people over August 2018, it said. That
‘UNITED FRONT’: The married couple allegedly produced talk show videos for platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to influence Taiwan’s politics A husband and wife affiliated with the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) were indicted yesterday for allegedly receiving NT$74 million (US$2.32 million) from China to make radio and digital media propaganda to promote the Chinese government’s political agenda and influence the outcome of Taiwan’s elections. Chang Meng-chung (張孟崇) and his wife, Hung Wen-ting (洪文婷), allegedly received a total of NT$74 million from China between 2021 and last year to promote candidates favored by Beijing, contravening the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) and election laws, the Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office said. The couple acted as Beijing’s propaganda mouthpiece by disparaging Hong Kong democracy activists
EARLY ARRIVALS: The first sets of HIMARS purchased from the US arrived ahead of their scheduled delivery, with troops already training on the platforms, a source said The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it spotted 35 Chinese military aircraft, including fighters and bombers, flying to the south of Taiwan proper on the way to exercises in the Pacific, a second consecutive day it has reported such activities. The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not respond to a request for comment on the missions, reported just days before tomorrow’s US presidential election. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Its arms sales to Taipei include a US$2 billion missile system announced last month. The MND said that from 9am yesterday,
A Control Yuan member yesterday said he would initiate an investigation into why the number of foreign nationals injured or killed in traffic incidents has nearly doubled in the past few years, and whether government agencies’ mechanisms were ineffective in ensuring road safety. Control Yuan member Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) said in a news release that Taiwan has been described as a “living hell for pedestrians” and traffic safety has become an important national security issue. According to a National Audit Office report released last year, more than 780,000 foreign nationals were legally residing in Taiwan in 2019, which grew to more than
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