On June 8, President Lee Teng-hui announced his Cabinet reshuffle. At a swearing-in ceremony two days later, he forcefully urged his new team to live up to public expectations by promoting radical reforms, and gave the Cabinet six months to prove itself with new thinking and fresh strategies. “We must work to lay a solid foundation for our country’s modernization in the four years ahead,” he declared.
The president also announced that he would retain Lien Chan to serve concurrently as premier and vice president of the Republic of China. Premier Lien Chan now heads an Executive Yuan with thirty-eight members in forty positions, as two portfolios are held concurrently. Of the thirty-eight members, twenty-two are newcomers, while eleven former members kept their posts and the remaining five changed portfolios. For the first time the Cabinet contains five women.
Hsu Li-teh was retained as vice premier and head of the Consumer Protection Commission, but his concurrent position as chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development was given to P.K. Chiang, who had previously headed the Economics Ministry. Chiang’s appointment was warmly welcomed on all sides.
Various members of the former Cabinet were not offered posts in the reshuffle. One casualty was Lui Chao-shiuan, the Minister of Transportation and Communications. Liu, renowned for his exemplary and upright manner of doing business, had achieved good results in exposing the corruption that taints bidding for public contracts. But the most prominent loser was the popular Minister of Justice, Ma Ying-jeou, who had attained enormous stature for his uncompromising stand against corruption.
Hsu Li-leh (徐立德), 65. Vice Premier and Chairman, Consumer Protection Commission. LL.M. from National Chengchi University and Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. He has served as vice premier of finance, minister of finance, minister of economic affairs, chairman of the KMT Central Finance Committee, and deputy secretary-general of the KMT. He has been vice premier since 1993.
Ma was made Minister of State in the reshuffle. Some fears were expressed that his successor might not adopt a similarly tough line. But Liao Cheng-hao, director of the Justice Ministry’s Investigation Bureau, who took over Ma’s job, immediately vowed to continue his predecessor’s srusade against money politics and organized crime. He was as good as his word: Two days later, a legislator from Pingtung county was indicted on bribery charges relating to last year’s Legislative Yuan election.
Ma Ying-jeou is reported to be contemplating a number of alternative roles in public life. Among them is candidature for mayor of Taipei in the city election due to be held in 1997. (President Lee is himself a former Taipei mayor.)
Since the definitive list of Cabinet names was published, some disgruntled ruling-party lawmakers have complained of a failure to consult more widely about these appointments. And problems have arisen over the president’s decision to retain Lien Chan as premier and head of the Executive Yuan.
President Lee announced that he did not intend to ask the Legislative Yuan to approve Lien Chan’s renomination as premier, as Article 57 of the constitution on the face of it seemed to require. This was because the president had simply rejected Lien Chan’s resignation from the office of premier (which was tendered after the election), so there would be no break in the premiership, and therefore no fresh nomination was appropriate or required. The opposition parties have declared their intention to mount a legal challenge to his decision.
Chao Shou-po (趙守博), 55. Cabinet Secretary-General. MCL and S.J.D. from the University of Illinois. He has served as chairman of the Council of Labor Affair, and (since 1994) secrelary-general of the Executive Yuan.
On June 11, the legislature passed a non-bidding motion asking President Lee to “renominate a premier and submit the name for the Legislative Yuan’s approval.” The KMT enjoys a legislative majority of two, but his opposition-inspired motion passed 80-65, with 10 KMT legislators abstaining, absenting themselves, or siding with the opposition parties. Opposition lawmakers further announced that they would boycott certain classes of legislative business sent from the Executive Yuan until president complied with the motion. In particular, they would obstruct the screening of budgets for state-owned business. KMT lawmaker Yao Ying-chi stigmatized this as “the most shameful day in the Legislative Yuan’s history,” but, if the opposition parties remain staunch in their resovle, there may well be further days of infamy ahead. A number of urgent budgetary debates have already had to be postponed.
The wording of the constitution of the Republic of China is said to offer no clear-cut solution, so who has the power to resolve this issue is a matter on which Taiwan’s Council of Grand Justices, which interprets the constitution and unifies the interpretation of laws, may yet have to rule.
Brief details of the thirty-nine persons appointed to the Cabinet are given on this and the following pages.
Shirley Kuo (郭婉容), 66. Minister of State. Ph.D. in economics from Kobe University. She has served as deputy governor of the Central Bank of China, minister of finance, and chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development. She has been minister of state since 1993.
Lin Chen-kuo (林振國), 59. Minister of State. BA in economics, National Taiwan University. He has been commissioner of the Taiwan Provincial Government Council. He last served as minister of finance and was concurrently minister of state.
Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), 46. Minister of State. S.J.D., Harvard University. He served as chairman of the Research Development and Evaluation Commission, and vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, before being appointed minister of justice and concurrently minister of state in 1993.
Tu Teh-chi (涂德錡), 62. Minister of State. Graduated from Tainan Normal School. He has been magistrate of Chiayi county, chairman of the KMT’s Taiwan Provincial Committee, and director-general of the KMT Central Committee’s Department of Organization Affairs.
Yang Shih-chien (楊世緘), 52. Minister of State. MEE and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He has been deputy director-general of the Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park Administration, and political vice minister of economic affairs.
Yeh Chin-fong (葉金鳳), 53. Minister of State. LL.D. from La Salle University. She has been a senior specialist at the Judicial Yuan; justice of the Supreme Court; commissioner of the Examination Yuan; and vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
Tsai Cheng-wen (蔡政文), 56. Minister of State. Doctor of social sciences, Katholike Universiteit te Leuven, Louvain, Belgium. He has been a member of the Executive Yuan’s Central Election Commission, and deputy director-general of the Department of Organization Affairs, KMT Central Committee.
Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正), 56. Minister of the Interior and Chairman, Central Election Commission. LL.B., National Chung Hsing University. He has been magistrate of Taipei county; secretary-general and political deputy governor of the Taiwan Provincial Government.
John Chang (章孝嚴), 55. Minister of Foreign Affairs. MIR, Georgetown University. He has served as administrative vice minister of foreign affairs; political vice minister of foreign affairs; and chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission.
Chiang Chung-ling (蔣仲苓), 74. Minister of National Defense. Ed. Armed Forces University. He has served as executive vice chief of the general staff, Ministry of National Defense; personal chief-of-staff and national policy advisor to the president of the ROC. He has held his present post since 1994.
Paul Chiu (邱正雄), 54. Minister of Finance. MA and Ph.D., Ohio State University. He has served as general manager of the Central Bank of China’s banking department; president of Hua Nan Commercial Bank; and deputy governor of the CBC.
Wu Jin (吳京), 62. Minister of Education. MS and Ph.D., University of Iowa. He was president and professor of hydraulic and ocean engineering, National Cheng Kung University. He has been a member of Academia Sinica since 1986.
Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪), 50. Minister of Justice. LL.B., LL.M., and LL.D., National Taiwan University. He has served as deputy director-general, Government Information Office; deputy secretary-general, Executive Yuan; and director of the Ministry of Justice’s investigation bureau.
Wang Chih-kang (王志剛), 54. Minister of Economic Affairs. Ph.D., Texas A & M University. He has served as administrative vice minister of economic affairs, and chairman of the Fair Trade Commission, Executive Yuan.
Tsay Jaw-yang (蔡兆陽), 55. Minister of Transportation & Communications. Bachelor of Engineering, National Cheng Kung University. He has served as director-general of the Construction & Planning Administration, and executive vice minister of the Ministry of Transportation & Communications.
Lee Hou-kao (李厚高), 70. Chairman of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission. LL.B., National Chung Hsing University. He has served as director-general of taxation administration, and secretary-general of the Executive Yuan. He has been chairman of MTAC since 1994.
James Chu (祝基瀅), 61. Chairman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission. MA and Ph.D., University of Southern Illinois. He has served as deputy director-general and director general, KMT Department of Cultural Affairs; and deputy secretary-general of the KMT’s Central Committee.
Wei Duan (韋端), 47. Director-General of the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. MS and Ph.D., University of South Carolina. He has served as director, Department of Statistics, Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen; and deputy directorgeneral of DGBAS.
Su Chi (蘇起), 47. Director-General of the Government Information Office. MPS and DPS, Columbia University. He has been secretary in the Office of the ROC’s President; deputy director, Department of Mainland Affairs, KMT Central Committee; and vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
Chen Keng-chin (陳庚金), 57. Director-General of the Central Personnel Administration. BPS and MPA, National Chengchi University. He has been magistrate of Taichung county and vice minister of the Examination Yuan. He has served as director-general of the CPA since 1993.
Chang Po-ya (張博雅), 54. Director-General of the Department of Health. MPH, institute of public health, National Taiwan University. MPH, Johns Hopkins University. She has been mayor of Chiayi city and a legislator. She has served as director-general of the DOH since 1990.
Tsai Hsung-hsiung (蔡勳雄), 55. Chairman of the Environmental Protection Administration. Ph.D., Princeton University. He has been a senior specialist, Council for Economic Planning & Development; and vice chairman of the CEPD.
Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), 64. Chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development. Ph.D., Tokyo University. He has served as director-general of the Board of Foreign Trade, vice minister of economic affairs; and minister of economic affairs.
Yang Ting-yun (楊亭雲), 68. Chairman of the Vocational Assistance Commission for Retired Servicemen. Ed. Armed Forces University. He has served as director, General Political Warfare Department, Ministry of National Defense, and vice C-in-C., Taiwan Garrison Command. Chairman of VACRS since 1994.
Wu Wan-lan (吳挽瀾), 63. Chairman of the National Youth Commission. MPA, University of Manila. He has served as deputy director of the China Youth Corps’ Taipei Headquarters; director-general, Department of Social Affairs, KMT Central Committee; and chairman of the KMT’s Taiwan Provincial Committee.
Chin Hsiao-yi (秦孝儀), 75. Director of the National Palace Museum Graduate of Shanghai Law College. He was President Chiang Kai-shek’s executive secretary, and has been deputy secretary-general of the KMT’s Central Committee. He has held the post of director of the NPM since 1983.
Hu Ching-piao (胡錦標), 53. Chairman of the Atomic Energy Council Ph.D., University of Illinois. He has been director of Tjingling Industrial Research Institute, director of the engineering and applied sciences division, National Science Council, and vice chairman of the NSCC.
Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄), 53. Chairman of the National Science Council. Ph.D. in chemistry, University of Toronto. He has served as vice chairman of the National Science Council, president of National Tsing Hua University and minister of transportation & communications.
Huang Ta-chou (黃大洲), 60. Chairman of the Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission. MS and Ph.D., both from Cornell University. He has served as secretary-general of the Taipei City Government; mayor of Taipei city; and member of the KMT’s Central Standing Committee.
Tjiu Mau-ying (邱茂英), 60. Chairman of the Council of Agriculture. Ph.D. from University of Goettingen, Germany. He has been vice chairman of the COA, and commissioner at the Taiwan Provincial Government’s Department of Agriculture & Forestry.
Lin Cheng-chih (林澄枝), 57. Chairwoman of the Council for Cultural Affairs. Graduated from Shih Chien College. She has been president of Shih Chien College, and deputy director-general and director-general of the Department of Women’s Affairs, KMT Central Committee.
Hsieh Shen-san (謝深山), 57. Chairman of the Council of Labor Affairs. Graduated from Hualien Industrial Vocational Senior High School. He has served as deputy secretary-general of the KMT’s Central Committee, and president of the Chinese Federation of Labor.
Chang King-yuh (張京育), 59. Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council. MCL and Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has been visiting scholar, Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California at Berkeley; director-general of the Government Information Office; and president of National Chengchi University.
Chao Yang-ching (趙揚清), 47. Chairwoman of the Fair Trade Commission. LL.M., graduate school of public finance, National Chengchi University. She has been deputy director-general and director-general of the Department of National Treasury, Ministry of Finance.
Ou Chin-der (歐晉德), 52. Chairman of the Public Construction Commission. Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University. He has been director general of the Taiwan Area National Expressway Engineering Bureau, and chairman of the Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Committee.
Hua Chia-chih (華加志), 60. Chairman of the Aboriginal Affairs Commission. Bachelor’s degree, National Taiwan Normal University. He has been chairman of the Development of Aboriginal Reservations of Taiwan Province; a Taiwan provincial assemblyman; and a member of the Legislative Yuan.