Chen reshuffles NSC but retains Sec-Gen. Chiou

Both Chiou and President Chen himself have come under pressure to resign after Chen sidelined himself amid a series of scandals involving the Presidential Office and members of the first family.

Parris Chang and Tsai Ming-hsien, the NSC’s deputy secretaries-general, will leave their posts in a minor personnel reshuffle, according to a statement issued by the department of public affairs at the Presidential Office yesterday.

But Tan Sun Chen, secretary-general to the president, said NSC Secretary-General Chiou will remain in his post.

The adjustments in personnel are in line with President Chen’s May 31 announcement to delegate power and stay away from most government affairs.

The release from the Presidential Office specifically noted that all political appointees in the NSC, including the secretary-general, deputy secretaries-general as well as advisers, will be strictly prohibited from stumping for party candidates.

These political appointees will also be banned from getting involved in political party activities, said the release.

The removal of Chang and Tsai follows the “voluntary resignations” of Lin Chin-chang, an NSC adviser, and Ma Yung-cheng, a deputy secretary-general to the president, following repeated calls from the opposition camp.

Lawmaker Chen Jin-chun of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said legislative leaders of the party respect the president’s power for the personnel reshuffle.

The Taiwan Solidarity Union, an ally of the DPP, said praised the move to cease NSC officials’ involvement in political affairs, and vice versa, is a step for improvement.

But veteran DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui hinted last week that NSC Secretary-General Chiu should also leave his post.

When asked by reporters yesterday, Lin said he still maintained the same view that Chiou himself should know when to bow out.

Speaking for lawmakers of the opposition People First Party (PFP), Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang said the change of two officials at the NSC is not tantamount to political reforms as claimed by the Presidential Office.

Lu said the departure of the two secretaries general was a elaborate effort to blur the focus of public attention from the strings of scams and scandals involving members of Chen’s family and inner circle officials.

Chiou is actually the official who should be removed from the NSC, said Lu.

He said there was no explanation of any sort for the totally irrelevant removing of the two NSC deputy chiefs. The action hardly reflects any signs “to demonstrate President Chen’s determination to carry out reforms” as claimed, he added.

The two-paragraph statement released from the Presidential Office did not say when the reshuffle would be announced and what new positions Chang and Tsai would receive.

President Chen was forced to publicly apologize for the extensive involvement of his son-on-law Chao Chien-ming in the scandals.

He relinquished power to the premier and ruling party chief and sacked two aides last week, but he has refused to resign. He has only two years left in his second four-year term.

The opposition parties have threatened to recall Chen or topple the Cabinet if he does not step down himself.

Legislator Tseng Yung-chuan of the opposition Kuomintang said he saw nothing about Chen’s intention to fulfill his promise for “self-reviewing and reforms” as he decided to keep Chiou on the current post.

He said that Chiou has been exactly the senior DPP leader who abused his power at the Presidential Office and the NSC to mastermind all major election campaigns.

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