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Security chief-designate vows to serve with 'honesty', 'expertise'

ROC Central News Agency

2008-05-12 18:29:02

    Taipei, May 12 (CNA) National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general-designate Su Chi pledged Monday to serve in his new post with "honesty" and "expertise."

    Su made the remarks one day after President-elect Ma Ying-jeou's office announced the new lineup of the NSC, with the academic-turned-politician Su named the NSC's secretary-general.

    The NSC, established in 1967 and chaired by the president, is an advisory body to the president. The main functions of the NSC and its subsidiary organ, the National Security Bureau, are to set national security policies and to assist in planning security strategy.

    Noting that President-elect Ma Ying-jeou has been an honest man, Su said that all NSC members will do their work in an honest way, instead of in any improper or crooked way. "We won't do things that the NSC recently did," Su said.

    Su didn't elaborate, but he was obviously referring to former Vice Premier and former NSC Secretary-general Chiou I-jen, a key figure in a diplomatic fraud scandal in which Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lost US$29.8 million to two middlemen from whom it sought help to establish diplomatic ties with Papua New Guinea.

    Chiou reportedly introduced the two middlemen to Foreign Minister James Huang, who resigned last week over the scandal.

    Su had held several key posts in the previous KMT government in the 1990s, including Government Information Office chief, Presidential Office deputy secretary-general and Mainland Affairs Council chairman.

    Su returned to academia after the KMT lost power in May 2000 and then served as a legislator-at-large from 2005 to 2008.

    During Ma's presidential campaign, Su was a key strategist, particularly in international and cross-Taiwan Strait affairs.

    Su on Monday also said the NSC will act in a professional way. He said all members will put aside their party affiliations and personal interests in giving reports to the president so that he can make "fair and balanced" decisions.

    Su said that the NSC will not decide on policies nor will it announce policies, explaining that its function is to provide the president with "information, research and options for his decision."

    He said the function of the NSC is to assist Ma and it will not command other government agencies.

    Su who holds a doctoral degree in political science from Columbia University in New York City, taught in National Chengchi University.

    Su said that since he left the academic field for politics 15 years ago, he has wanted to devote himself to serving the nation.

    He emphasized that the NSC will follow the law, follow the precedents if there is no law or hold public discussions if there are no precedents to follow.

    Su, who had liver cancer before he was cured, also said that he attached great importance to his health, and undergoes an examination every four months.

(By Lilian Wu)

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