Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced five members of his future Cabinet, including former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and writer Li Yuan (李遠), who are to lead the ministries of the interior and culture respectively.
Cho, who on Wednesday was named premier-designate by president-elect William Lai (賴清德), made the announcement at a news conference in Taipei.
Cho said that Executive Yuan Secretary-General Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) would be minister of transportation and communications and National Sun Yat-sen University president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) would be minister of education.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Taipei Chief District Prosecutors Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) is to serve as minister of justice, Cho said.
The new appointees all have solid track records in their respective professional fields and have exhibited the ability to fulfill their tasks, he said.
“We aim to continue developing Taiwan based on its existing foundation, and to find new approaches for old issues while identifying effective solutions when we come up against new challenges,” Cho said.
Cho commended Liu for her emergency response abilities, which he attributed to her extensive experience serving in the local governments of Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Penghu County.
Cheng Ming-chien previously led the Ministry of Justice’s Agency Against Corruption and therefore has solid knowledge of the ministry’s operations, he said.
Li Meng-yen was named minister of transportation and communications due to his strong communication and coordination skills gained through years of serving as the Cabinet’s secretary-general and due to his civil engineering expertise, Cho said.
Li Yuan, better known by his pen name Hsiao Yeh (小野), is an acclaimed novelist and scriptwriter who has worked across various mediums over the years, including literature, cinema and theater, he said.
Cho expressed hope that Li Yuan would use his extensive network of contacts to promote a “culturally sustainable Taiwan.”
Cheng Ying-yao has extensive experience working in higher education and government education agencies, and would strive to elevate the competitiveness of Taiwanese students and enhance the research capabilities of universities, Cho said.
DPP sources said that the selection of Li Yuan and Cheng Ming-chien shows that Lai would be choosing ministers based on their talent, not on party affiliation.
However, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said the appointment of the new premier and Cabinet ministers fell short of the public’s expectations for Lai’s government to be a fresh start.
KMT Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) questioned the competence of those appointed and said that many of them were given important roles in the Cabinet because they had previously worked for DPP local governments in Tainan and Kaohsiung.
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