Lin Chia-cheng

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lin Chia-cheng
林嘉誠
Minister of Examination
In office
20 May 2004 – 20 May 2008
Preceded byLiu Chu-chih
Succeeded byHwang Yea-baang (acting)
Yang Chao-hsiang
Minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission
In office
May 2000 – May 2004
Preceded byWea Chi-lin
Succeeded byYeh Jiunn-rong
Personal details
Born1952 (age 71–72)
NationalityTaiwanese
Alma materNational Taiwan University
Occupationpolitical scientist, sociologist
Professionpolitician

Lin Chia-cheng (Chinese: 林嘉誠; born 1952) is a Taiwanese political scientist, sociologist, and politician.

Lin completed a bachelor's degree in economics at National Taiwan University, remaining at the university to pursue graduate studies in political science. He then became a professor of sociology at Soochow University.[1] While Lin taught at Soochow University, he was invited to a number of panel discussions hosted by the Free China Review. During these discussions in 1988, Lin described the relationship between lifting martial law in Taiwan and its effect on democratization,[2] explicitly cautioned the Democratic Progressive Party against focusing on Taiwan independence,[2][3] opining that independence was not achievable at that point in time,[2][3] but continually advocating for it would increase political tension and division.[3] In another panel discussion hosted by the Review in 1990, Lin considered political developments in Taiwan through five main viewpoints, naming constitutional reform, the Civic Organizations Law's influence on nascent party politics, the power of public opinion, the legal protection of human rights, and changes in parliamentary structure, primarily the supplementary elections to the Legislative Yuan, as key to democratization in Taiwan.[4] Lin regarded public and special interest groups as part of a politically pluralistic society, as long as such organizations respected norms.[4]

Lin was appointed head of Taipei City Government's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, then subsequently served as deputy mayor of the city between 1997 and 1998.[1] At the age of 47, he was selected to lead the Executive Yuan's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission in 2000, as a member of the Chen Shui-bian presidential administration.[1] As head of the RDEC, Lin supported the building of casinos on Kinmen and Matsu.[5] He also claimed that the Chen administration's proposed budget for fiscal year 2001 would save NT$70 billion when compared to the previous government's budget, but Kuomintang lawmaker Yen Ching-piao countered that the Chen government's budget proposal had added NT$95 billion in expenditures compared to the fiscal year 2000 budget.[6] In May 2002, Lin inaugurated an online learning platform for public sector employees, as part of a six-year program that sought to make Taiwan a "digitalized state."[7] After Chen Shui-bian won a second presidential term in 2004, Lin was formally sworn in as Minister of Examination on 8 June 2004.[8]

While serving in the Executive Yuan, Lin continued his advocacy for human rights,[9] among them the movement of natural persons.[10] Opinion pieces written by Lin appeared in the Taipei Times before and after his retirement from public service. In these editorials, Lin disclosed steps taken at the RDEC to gather evidence on the 228 incident, Kaohsiung incident, and other government actions during the martial law era,[11] opinions on aspects of governance missing and needed during the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions,[12] views on the economy of Taiwan,[13] and expressed support for the consolidation of the Examination Yuan.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "The New Cabinet". Taipei Review. 1 July 2000. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Quickened Pace Of Political Change". Free China Review. 1 August 1988. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "On "Taiwan Independence"". Free China Review. 1 January 1988. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Transition & Consolidation". Free China Review. 1 December 1990. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  5. ^ Huang, Joyce (28 December 2000). "Cabinet agency proposes casinos for Kinmen, Matsu". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  6. ^ Low, Stephanie; Chu, Monique (16 September 2000). "KMT, New Party sink DPP's 2001 budget proposal". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  7. ^ Ko, Shu-ling (11 May 2002). "Taipei launches cyber-academy for civil servants". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  8. ^ Lin, Chieh-yu (9 June 2004). "Chen swears in Wu, other new top officials". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Editorial: China-Taiwan rights gap tells tale". Taipei Times. 20 November 2003. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Make short-term foreign work rules easier, officials say". Taipei Times. Central News Agency. 6 September 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  11. ^ Lin, Chia-cheng (25 October 2007). "Government did probe murders". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  12. ^ Lin, Chia-cheng (17 August 2014). "Political, business elites rule the nation". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  13. ^ Lin, Chia-cheng (15 June 2015). "Politicians must boost investment". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  14. ^ Lin, Chia-cheng (19 April 2019). "Exam Yuan should be folded into other branch". Taipei Times. Retrieved 8 January 2022.