Premier Chang San-cheng praised the members of his Cabinet as they stepped down en masse on Thursday. Chang’s successor Lin Chuan will take office on May 20 when incoming President Tsai Ing-wen is sworn in.
Chang said his three-month, 12-day term as premier has been his shortest time in any government position. But Chang said his Cabinet performed well. Chang replaced Mao Chi-kuo on February 1 after the landslide defeat of his party, the Kuomintang (KMT) in January’s general elections.
"There have been more than ten emergencies in Taiwan over the last three months. We dealt with most of them successfully. This wasn’t thanks to my ability," Chang said. "In most cases, the various ministries were proactive. They did what they were supposed to do and performed their tasks well. This is what has made me most grateful to you during my term. The term has been short but…we must rank as the Cabinet with the best cost-performance index ever."
Chang said his time as premier has been the best period of his four-year career in government.
On Thursday, the Presidential Office conveyed President Ma Ying-jeou’s satisfaction with Premier Chang’s performance.