Lai urges new Cabinet to build up public support

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) President-elect Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday urged his new Cabinet to listen to public opinion and work to garner public support.

At an "action camp" held for the new Cabinet, which takes office May 20, Lai said as long as the DPP maintains sufficient public support, it can push for policies it wants, even without a majority in the Legislative Yuan.

In the Jan. 13 presidential election, Lai won with 40.05 percent of the vote, against the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT's) Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) who secured 33.49 percent, and Taiwan People's Party's (TPP's) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) who won 26.46 percent.

However, the DPP lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan in the legislative elections after only winning 51 out of 113 seats. The opposition Kuomintang secured 52 seats and the TPP gained eight.

Lai cited Pope Francis as saying: "True power is service," as he urged his new Cabinet members to tap into public sentiment and "be shepherds living with the smell of sheep."

Lai also praised the new Cabinet members for their courage in assuming their roles and for their dedication to governing the country, particularly during a period where no single party holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan.

The lack of a majority means it is likely to be more challenging for a party to gain sufficient votes to pass a bill.

Citing Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Lai said more than 50 percent of his Cabinet members are independents, showing a determination to push for a range of policies.

Lai noted that more than 80 percent of them are new to the Cabinet and some have given up impressive careers to work for the country.

Among the newly appointed Cabinet members, Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the current secretary-general to the president and a former Taichung mayor, will assume the post of foreign minister, National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) will head the defense ministry, and the Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan Li Men-yen (李孟諺) will lead the transportation ministry.

To build a Cabinet ready to take action, Lai said the new government will do its best to pass policies pledged during the election campaign, and to work toward peace and strengthening democracy in Taiwan.

Lai added the new government will also work hard to promote innovation and prosperity in the country, and to build a fair and just society.

The president-elect said the new Cabinet will evaluate whether policies proposed by the opposition camp during the election campaign would benefit the public, and if so, the new government would be willing to implement them.

Lai said Taiwan is facing various challenges that cannot be solved by a single ministry alone and requires full teamwork and inter-departmental coordination.

According to Cho, the 17 non-DPP Cabinet members account for 83 percent of the new Cabinet members and the nine female appointees constitute 29 percent.

Cho said the new government will focus on promoting expertise, innovation and gender equality to make Taiwan a fairer and more civilized country.