On the resignation of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan

The Cabinet, formed on May 20 last year when President Ma was inaugurated, lasted one year and almost four months, short of ten days.

We believe Liu is one of Taiwan's gutsiest leaders. He went on the record right after he was appointed premier by the president saying he would quit under one of three conditions. He promised to resign when he wasn't satisfied with his own performance or when the president wasn't satisfied with his premier's performance or when the voters weren't satisfied with the Cabinet.

The electorate is really not satisfied with Liu's performance in handling Taiwan's worst flood disaster in history, triggered by Typhoon Morakot that struck Taiwan on August 8-9. More than 600 people were killed and at least four remote villages and townships buried in mudslides. Rescue, evacuation and relief operations were not done in time. His approval ratings plunged to a record-low 11 percent, though the entire operations did not end up as bad as the handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in Louisiana by the former George W. Bush administration.

Liu had actually tendered his resignation in mid-August to take responsibility for the flip-flops in the rescue, evacuation and relief operations in the wake of the devastating tropical rainstorm. Apparently, not dissatisfied with his premier, President Ma asked his premier to stay on.

Liu did, in order to complete the relief work. He declared, at his southern Taiwan command post Sunday, that reconstruction work was underway. He then requested the president to let him resign his post. Ma agreed.

At a hastily called press conference, immediately after the brief one held by the outgoing premier, Ma's spokesman Tony Wang said Wu Den-yih, secretary-general of the Kuomintang, will be the new head of government. Eric Chu, magistrate of Taoyuan, will be his vice premier.

Ma wouldn't have let Liu go, unless he hadn't been blasted for weeks by a chorus of complaints from practically all political commentators on TV talk shows or in the print media who want nothing but Liu's head, because the president couldn't be forced to quit.

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