Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential nominee Ma Ying-jeou (
If Ma had taken any other course, he would have had to pay the price in next year's presidential election for the foolish actions of pan-blue legislators.
The KMT finally appears to understand the obligations that political parties and legislators have and is now willing to first examine the budget bill instead of linking it to passage of the commission bill.
The budget bill affects every national construction project, and is important to taxpayers' wallets. Therefore, examining the budget bill is one of the most critical functions of a legislature. The commission bill, in contrast, deals with whether the rules of the political game are fair.
For more than six months the pan-blue camp has mistakenly tried to link the two. Recognizing this error was long overdue.
According to Article 51 of the Budget Act (
The KMT thought it was clever to use its legislative majority to hold the budget plan hostage to force the legislature to review the commission bill. The Democratic Progressive Party, however, is also guilty of paralyzing the legislature to prevent a review of the bill.
If the legislative deadlock is not resolved before the end of this legislative session on Friday -- and if no extraordinary session is held to pass the bill -- then next fall lawmakers will be faced with having to review and pass both the 2007 budget and the 2008 budget. This would put both the government and the legislature in an untenable situation.
The 2007 budget bill has been stuck in the legislature for more than 190 days, delaying national infrastructure projects and tarnishing the national image. It is time to end the farce. The opposition should unconditionally review and pass the budget bill.
There are no winners or losers here. The longer the deadlock, the greater the losses on all sides. The deadlock has resulted in increasing public criticism, and the opposition camp must take the majority of the blame for this. Ma should not be seeking to claim credit for resolving a situation that he previously said he had no control over.
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
As former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrapped up his visit to the People’s Republic of China, he received his share of attention. Certainly, the trip must be seen within the full context of Ma’s life, that is, his eight-year presidency, the Sunflower movement and his failed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, as well as his eight years as Taipei mayor with its posturing, accusations of money laundering, and ups and downs. Through all that, basic questions stand out: “What drives Ma? What is his end game?” Having observed and commented on Ma for decades, it is all ironically reminiscent of former US president Harry