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Taiwan's Premier, Cabinet resign en masse

ROC Central News Agency

2008-05-14 17:49:33

    Taipei, May 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Prime Minister Chang Chun-hsiung and his 76 Cabinet members resigned en masse Wednesday, beginning the process of ending eight years of rule by the administration of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian.

    The resignation ceremony was held at the last meeting of the Cabinet and comes ahead of the May 20 inauguration of President-elect Ma Ying-jeou and his new administration.

    Ma, from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), defeated his rival Frank Hsieh from Chen's ruling Democratic Progressive Party in the March 22 election.

    The new Cabinet will also be sworn in next Tuesday.

    The Cabinet members, who will technically serve until May 20, are exiting as another fiasco has hit the scandal-plagued administration of Chen. The foreign minister, vice premier and a deputy defense minister have already resigned in recent days after the government recently revealed some US$30 million was lost to two middlemen in an unsuccessful attempt by the foreign ministry to establish diplomatic relations with Papua New Guinea.

    Premier Chang, however, put a happy face on the resignation ceremony, commending the Cabinet for their "impressive achievements" during the past eight years. "Everyone has devoted (himself or herself) with all-out efforts to the country, to the people, and to the development of Taiwan," Chang said at the ceremony, expressing appreciation to the Cabinet members. "I am proud of every one of you," Chang said, adding that all the efforts made in the past will certainly serve as good memory for the Cabinet members.

    Chang requested his Cabinet "remain in their posts until the transition of power (to the Kuomintang government)" on May 20.

    Apart from conferring medals of merit on his Cabinet members, Chang also shook hands with ministers and officials one by one, followed by a group photo-taking in front of the Executive Yuan building.

    Cabinet spokesman Shieh Jyh-wey said after the ceremony that even though the ruling Democratic Progressive Party government is to step down, "it (the DPP) will do a better job next time when it regains power." "I am sure that the KMT has also learnt a lot of experience (since it lost power in 2000)," said Shieh, adding that he hoped "all Taiwanese people will pull together" to create a better future for the nation.

    President-elect Ma and Vice President-elect Vincent Siew of the KMT defeated their DPP opponent Hsieh and his running mate Su Tseng-chang with 7,658,724 votes, or 58.45 percent of the votes cast in the March 22 presidential election.

    Ma's landslide victory will return the KMT to power eight years after President Chen won the 2000 presidential election and the 2004 re-election, ending half a century of KMT rule in Taiwan.

    The large percentage of voters who voted for the KMT ticket is widely seen as not only a reflection of Ma's popular appeal but widespread dissatisfaction with Chen's rule.

(By Howard Lin)

ENDITEM/cs