|
Government wastes
resources: DPP
OUTRAGE: A report that a politician is set to
take up a senior government position has prompted allegations that the
government is giving out rewards with national resources
By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Lee Hsin-fang / Staff reporters
National Youth Commission Minister Chen Yi-chen (陳以真) was reportedly tapped to
lead a soon-to-be-established branch office under the Executive Yuan in Chiayi
City, arousing suspicion and prompting the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to
accuse the government of using national resources for political rewards.
If the Executive Yuan is using government resources as political rewards or as a
method of inserting people in advantageous positions, it is a waste of national
resources, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said, adding that such methods
would not gain public approval.
The criticism came in the wake of a report published in the Chinese-language
China Times yesterday that quoted anonymous sources as saying that the Chinese
Nationalist Party (KMT) planned to have the 35-year-old TV news
anchor-turned-politician represent the party in the 2014 mayoral election in
Chiayi City, traditionally a pan-green stronghold.
In her first run for public office in Chiayi in the legislative elections on
Jan. 14 this year, Chen lost to the DPP’s Chen Ming-wen (陳明文), a veteran
politician, by a narrow margin of 70,477 votes to 86,828.
The Executive Yuan currently has three branches, one each in Greater Taichung,
Greater Kaohsiung and Taitung County.
According to the China Times report, Chen Yi-chen would succeed Executive Yuan
Deputy Secretary-General Steven Chen (陳士魁) to lead the Chiayi branch office
after part of the government restructuring plan — under which the commission is
to be folded into the Ministry of Education and the Council of Labor Affairs —
takes effect at the end of this year.
Premier Sean Chen (陳?) yesterday did not deny the possibility of such a move
when asked for verification of the China Times report.
However, he declined further comment on the matter “until some time later.”
However, the premier confirmed that the new branch office is scheduled to start
operations on Sunday, and Steven Chen is set to double as executive-general of
the office in its initial stage of establishment.
The newspaper added that Chen Yi-chen’s husband, Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中), who has
already regularly engaged in local activities on behalf of his wife to maintain
ties with leaders of local communities, would be designated as deputy head of
the branch office.
When asked for comment yesterday, Yang said it would be impossible for his wife
and himself to serve as the head and deputy of the same agency.
Additional reporting by Lin Yi-chang
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
|
