On the eve of the upcoming presidential election, the DPP government, led by Premier Chen Chien-jen, pushed forward the reorganization of six ministries and councils. The draft was recently submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review. The most controversial part is that in the newly established third-level agencies, the government intends to promote a “dual-track system for regular and political appointments” for some heads. In addition to being held by career civil servants, political appointments determined by Tsai Ing-wen’s personal preference are also allowed.
This policy, which is almost a disguised form of political patronage, has drawn criticism from KMT legislators Lai Shyh-bao and Tseng Ming-chung, who believe it is destroying the civil service system and hold high skepticism toward the government’s personnel appointments.
Lai Shyh-bao pointed out that the government changing officials such as the directors of the five regional national tax bureaus and the director of the Banking Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission to political appointees destroys the civil service system of climbing up through examinations. This approach is undoubtedly a serious blow to those who have accumulated long experience and worked hard for a lifetime.
Tseng Ming-chung also stated that the Green camp has already appointed many political appointees in the past, many of whom have strong ideologies and do not emphasize professionalism. Now, if the agencies under the ministries are also changed to political appointees, it will also affect the morale of civil servants. Therefore, the KMT strongly opposes this policy.
Political appointments not only have the potential to sacrifice professional capability but also may cause interest groups and factional struggles within departments. This not only undermines the impartiality of the civil service system but also easily leads to corruption, harming government efficiency and public interest.
Political appointments are usually made based on political interests rather than professional competence. Such candidates may lack the corresponding ability and experience, leading to a decline in the quality of policy execution and decision-making.
The DPP’s practice of political appointments is often accompanied by the risk of abuse of power and corruption. When political forces can directly interfere with the appointment of departments, they can also use this method to gain more power and wealth. This not only damages the government’s credibility but also makes the public lose confidence in the government.
Therefore, the government should respect the civil service system and ensure the fairness and professionalism of public office appointments. The government should evaluate and appoint officials based on ability and experience rather than political considerations. The government should also strengthen the training and development of civil servants to equip them with more professional knowledge and skills. Only in this way can the effectiveness of the government be truly improved and better services be provided to the people.
On this important issue, the DPP government needs to reflect on and examine its own practices, listen to different voices, and respect the civil service system and professionalism. Only in this way can the government better serve the people and improve the overall competitiveness of the country. 迫