Accusing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of running the country in an arrogant manner, former Control Yuan president Wang Tso-yung (王作榮) yesterday urged Ma to reshuffle the Cabinet within one month.
“Growing up as the only son of a middle-class family surrounded by doting sisters, it is no wonder that Ma has an arrogant attitude,” Wang said.
He also quoted Ma’s wife, Chow Mei-chin (周美青), as having said that Ma’s downfall was his lack of empathy for others.
Change of heart
A member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) old guard, Wang had been full of praise for Ma last month. But a letter written by Wang that was published on the Chinese-language United Daily News’ opinion page yesterday reflected a possible change of heart.
“Ma needs to stand on the frontline [of the battle]. There is no such thing as a semi-presidential system [in Taiwan],” he said in the letter, referring to Ma’s stance since he assumed office on May 20.
Ma has stated that, based on the Constitution, the premier is the administrative chief and has the highest authority over most domestic matters, while the president’s responsibilities lie chiefly in diplomacy, national defense and cross-strait relations. Ma also cited the Constitution for his silence amid public complaints over rising fuel and commodity prices.
Wang said there were several examples of Ma’s arrogance. For one, he said, Ma named “a certain Taiwanese independence supporter to be the country’s top China policymaker.”
This was an apparent reference to the appointment of former Taiwan Solidarity Union legislator Lai Hsin-yuan (賴幸媛) as Mainland Affairs Council chairwoman.
Wang accused Ma of turning his back on the KMT to appease the pan-green camp by appointing many people from outside the pan-blue camp in various important posts.
He said Ma should use more of his own people, instead of trying to please the Democratic Progressive Party.
ONE TO RULE THEM ALL
A democratic society means one party is chosen to rule, Wang said, adding that the members of Ma’s administration should be chosen from the ranks of the governing party so that the party could shoulder its political responsibilities as a whole.
“But Ma won’t even pay attention to the legislature, even though it has a pan-blue majority,” he said.
Wang said that Ma was destroying Taiwan’s democracy and breaking up the KMT.
He suggested a major Cabinet reshuffle, preferably within one month, to allow more “suitable” people to be part of the team.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have