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Ma appoints General Yen Ming as
defense minister
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
Chief of the General Staff Yen
Ming gives a speech at a memorial ceremony on May 27. The event was held for one
of the members of the “Black Cat” squadron who flew U2 reconnaisance planes over
China on high-risk missions. Yen was appointed minister of national defense
yesterday.
Photo: CNA
The Executive Yuan announced yesterday
that Chief of the General Staff General Yen Ming (嚴明) had been appointed
minister of national defense, replacing Andrew Yang (楊念祖), who resigned on
Tuesday night.
Yen was the first military officer to be promoted to general after President Ma
Ying-jeou took office in 2008, the Executive Yuan said in a statement.
It said it believed Yen would be able to “gain the trust of the public” as the
military’s judicial system is transferred to the civilian judiciary in the
coming months.
In addition, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) announced that Deputy Defense Minister
Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) would replace Yen as chief of the general staff.
Presiding over a meeting of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central
Standing Committee in his role as party chairman, Ma said he met with Yen and
Kao yesterday morning at the Presidential Office to inform them of the
nominations, and instructed them to make maintaining morale their top priority.
Yen and Kao are to take over today, he said.
“Yen will join other Cabinet members in tomorrow’s [Thursday’s] Cabinet meeting,
so that national defense affairs will be running smoothly and not be affected by
Yang’s resignation,” Ma said.
Meanwhile, ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) denied a report that
claimed Yang’s resignation was a result of a power struggle within the ministry
and military.
Lo said a story in the Chinese-language China Times that claimed Yang’s
resignation was a result of such a power struggle was a fabrication. He also
said the newspaper story had seriously affected the military’s reputation.
The military had complained about the story, Lo said.
However, KMT lawmakers were divided on the idea of a power struggle forcing
Yang’s hand.
KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said he did not think the plagiarism disclosure
that led to Yang’s resignation was a result of infighting within the ministry.
“It had nothing to do with military infighting. There have been rumors [about
the plagiarism] spreading online. Opposition lawmakers took advantage of the
chance to go after the ministry for political gain,” Lin said.
The opposition wants to kick the “ministry’s ass” as much as it can, Lin said.
The lawmaker said it was a pity that Yang decided to resign over the plagiarism
because he could have become a good civilian defense minister, given his strong
academic background, years of experience, fluency in English and close
relationships with top US officials.
However, KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said whoever provided Next Magazine
with information about the plagiarism “had dubious motives.”
“There has been growing dissatisfaction with Yang among military officers since
he was appointed as a civilian to the position they have long desired,” Lo Shu-lei
said.
She said military officers who were passed over when former defense minister Kao
Hua-chu (高華柱) resigned had launched a “counterattack” against Yang.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih and Rich Chang
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