The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) nominations for vice president of the Examination Yuan, vice president of the Control Yuan and three Control Yuan members despite a boycott of the vote by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators.
John Kuan (關中), a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) official and strategist, was confirmed as the president of the Examination Yuan.
Former Control Yuan member Chen Jinn-lih (陳進利) was appointed vice president of the Control Yuan, becoming the first Aborigine to hold the post.
National Union president Yin Jeo-chen (尹祚芊), professor of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University Chen Yung-hsiang (陳永祥) and former Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬) were appointed Control Yuan members.
DPP legislative caucus whip Chang Hwa-kuan (張花冠) said the nominees were not qualified to hold the positions because of their close affiliation with the KMT.
Kuan promised he would not participate in party activities after assuming office and vowed that his first priority would be to push through bills demanding the political neutrality of public servants in the first three years of his six-year tenure.
Chen said he would conduct a review of the system that disciplines public functionaries and study the possibility of creating courts that specialize in cases involving public servants.
The Examination Yuan post has been vacant since Sept. 1, when Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) stepped down at the end of his term.
Ma initially named Chang Chun-yen (張俊彥), a former head of National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, to head the Examination Yuan on June 19.
However, Chang withdrew his nomination after critics alleged that he offered an honorary doctorate to a business tycoon in exchange for a job at the tycoon’s firm following his retirement.
Additional reporting by CNA
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