The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has indicated it is now considering joining forces with the People First Party (PFP) to launch a no-confidence vote against newly sworn-in Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
According to KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yih (
Hopefully Wu was not bluffing. But if it turns out that both the KMT and the PFP are bluffing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) -- given the absurdity in the legislature -- should seriously consider launching its own campaign to topple the premier.
While it may appear bizarre at first glance to have the governing party launch a no-confidence vote to oust its own premier, such an approach might be necessary in order to put the madness that is the current Legislative Yuan to rest.
If a no-confidence vote passes, the president has the authority to dismiss the legislature. A new legislative election would then be called, offering an opportunity for all the political parties -- especially incumbent legislators -- to face public scrutiny.
Forget about the country's well-being. Looking at the opposition-controlled legislative agenda for tomorrow shows just how much the 2008 presidential elections and Ma Ying-jeou's (
According to Friday's schedule, the KMT-proposed amendment to the Organic Law of the National Communications Commission (
The amendment states that all special allowances claimed by officials before the end of last year should be seen as "substantial subsidies."
Passage of the amendment would decriminalize the behavior that led to Ma's indictment on corruption charges after he allegedly wired half of his monthly special allowance fund directly into a personal account during his stint as Taipei mayor from 1998 to last year.
Unsurprisingly, the bill to amend the Organic Law of the Central Election Commission (
Given the repeated brawls that have broken out while the DPP has tried to block a vote on the KMT-proposed CEC bill -- which would give the pan-blue camp a majority in the commission if passed -- chances of the government budget being reviewed in Friday's session look slim.
The Budget Act stipulates that the legislature finish its review of budget requests at least one month before the end of its fiscal year. Now June is a week away and a budget review is still in limbo. Shame on the legislature.
The pan-blue camp is also proposing amendments to the Farmers' Association Law (
How long can the public allow this absurdity to go on, allowing the pan-blue camp to exploit their majority in the legislature not for the sake of the country but for their own selfish interests?
Go ahead and launch a no-confidence vote on the premier. Let the president dismiss the legislature. Let the legislators look even more foolish than they do already. Let them face the public.
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