Industry leaders want economics minister to remain in his position

By Peter Chou, Special to The China Post
August 9, 2014, 12:01 am TWN

The head of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) Chang Chia-Juch (張家祝) handed in his resignation on Thursday, Aug. 7.
They also hope that the government's ranking officials will try their best to convince Chang to stay.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) President Hsu Rock (許勝雄) and Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (CNAIC) Chairman Lin Por-fong (林伯豐) expressed their regrets at Economics Minister Chang Chia-juch's (張家祝) wish to resign.

Chang had been blamed for Kaohsiung's gas explosions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) and Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩). They accused Chang of being cold-blooded and inhumane while dealing with the explosions' victims and Kaohsiung's reconstruction program.

Chang said in his resignation statement that since his inauguration as Economics minister on Feb.18, 2013, most of his economic policies, including the safety checks of Nuke 4, rationalization of the electricity prices, signing of the Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services, and establishing the Free Economic Pilot Zones, had all been criticized by the society.