TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following President-elect Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) announcement of his first picks for the new Cabinet on Wednesday (April 10), Premier-designate Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday (April 12) unveiled a second round of Cabinet appointees.
At a Friday press conference, Cho said that Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) will lead the interior ministry and Secretary-General of the Cabinet Li Meng-yen (李孟諺) will head the transportation ministry, reported CNA.
Cho added that National Sun Yat-sen University President Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) will take over at the education ministry, novelist Li Yuan (李遠) will serve as culture minister, and Taipei Chief Prosecutor Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has been tapped to be justice minister.
According to RW News, Liu Shyh-fang has a background in chemical engineering and environmental engineering and has experience at both local and central government levels. During Chen Chu's (陳菊) tenure as mayor of Kaohsiung, Liu served as deputy mayor and gained Chen's trust, demonstrating strong executive leadership capabilities and the ability to handle key policies of the Ministry of the Interior, such as future social housing projects.
Li Meng-yen has a background in hydraulic and environmental engineering. During Su Tseng-chang's (蘇貞昌) tenure as magistrate of Taipei County, he was appointed as director of the Water Resources Agency.
During Lai's tenure as mayor of Tainan City, Li Men-yen was also trusted by Lai. Both in Su's Cabinet and Chen Chien-jen's 陳建仁 Cabinet, Lee served as the secretary-general of the Executive Yuan.
With Li Men-yen's engineering background, his policy execution and coordination abilities have been praised, leading to his appointment as Minister of Transportation.
Cheng Ying-yao holds a PhD in Education from National Chengchi University. From a primary school teacher to a university professor, from director of education to dean and vice president of National Sun Yat-sen University, and consultant to the Ministry of Education, Cheng has steadily risen up the ranks of academia.
Cheng has been serving as president of Sun Yat-sen University since 2016.
Li Yuan, 72, is a renowned writer and playwright who, along with director Hou Hsiao-Hsien (侯孝賢) and others, was a key figure in Taiwan's New Cinema. He has served as the general manager of the Chinese Television System and the principal of the Taipei Media School.
In September 2018, Li was appointed as the general director of former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲) campaign office, and after Ko's win, he returned to his position as chairman of the Taipei Cultural Foundation.
Cheng Ming-chien, graduated from the Department of Law at National Chung Hsing University and completed the 26th session of the Ministry of Justice's Academy for the Judiciary. During his tenure as chief prosecutor of the Tainan District Prosecutor's Office, he handled cases involving optoelectronics and illegal dumping.
During his tenure as the head of the Agency Against Corruption, he investigated bribery cases involving former Deputy Mayor of Taoyuan City Yeh Shih-Wen (葉世文), former Deputy Mayor of New Taipei City Hsu Chih-chien (許志堅), and corruption cases involving Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙), the former Magistrate of Yilan County.
Last year, he took over as the chief prosecutor of the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office and prosecuted Hsinchu City Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) for allegedly embezzling public funds while serving as a legislator, earning him a reputation as a major anti-corruption figure.