A group of lawmakers from across party lines yesterday appealed for the quick handling of a bill designed to enable the establishment of an anti-corruption agency. The bill has been stalled in the legislature for weeks by objections raised by the majority KMT caucus.
The lawmakers argued that an agency specializing in cracking down on corruption is badly needed by Taiwan, which has won a bad name internationally for its corruption problem.
"Even the US has listed corruption as a major barrier to trade with Taiwan. The corruption problem has continued from the time of the old government to the new one without any indication that it is dying out," said New Party Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆).
Other legislators joining the cause yesterday included independent Eugene Jao (趙永清), the KMT's Chen Shei-saint (陳學聖) and the People First Party's Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄).
They cited the examples of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and Singapore's Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), which have helped reduce political corruption and increase the competitiveness of those countries.
The Ministry of Justice has submitted to the legislature a bill to establish an anti-corruption agency, but the bill has not been able to move on to a legislative committee for review and debate.
According to Jao, KMT legislators have blocked the bill in the Procedure Committee six times in a row.
"It is time for the KMT, which lost power because of its `black gold' problem, to show its sincerity and resolution to attack this problem and stop barring the establishment of the anti-corruption agency," Jao said.
In response, KMT caucus whip Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金) explained that his party had not objected to establishing the anti-corruption agency, but thinks that the proposed bill deserves further consideration. "If we aren't careful, we may create a redundant `administrative monster.' It will be too late to rectify by then," Cheng said.
Cheng said it would be more appropriate to discuss the matter in an inter-party negotiation before letting the bill proceed to a legislative committee, and that the KMT would soon submit its own proposal for an anti-corruption agency under the Control Yuan.
Under the ministry's proposal, the anti-corruption agency would be directly under the ministry.
Currently, the ministry has a Government Ethics Department, while most other government agencies have a department serving a similar purpose.
The KMT has argued that the key issue is to boost the efficiency of these departments, and that it would be a waste of public resources to set up the anti-corruption agency while these departments already exist. Under its proposal, the "ethics departments" would be abolished.
Chen, a pro-reform KMT legislator, however, said these details should be discussed while the bill is debated in a legislative committee, rather than brought up even before the bill has had a chance to go forward.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
URBAN COMBAT: FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles from the US made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills simulating an invasion of the Taipei MRT The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei. At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel. First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems. Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary