Adding fuel to the spat over the Finance Committee, gangster-turned-independent lawmaker Lo Fu-chu (
Meanwhile, five DPP legislative candidates urged voters to boycott Lo, the self-styled "spiritual leader" of the Tiendaomeng gang, who is expected to seek a third term in Taipei City's southern district and vowed to remove him from the legislature.
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"The entire controversy is a set-up," Lo told reporters in his office at the legislature. "I unwittingly fell into a trap, just as they wished."
Lo, who was banned in April from the legislature for assaulting a female colleague, said that the DPP had deliberately picked a fight with him, hoping to turn public attention away from the slumping economy.
"That explains why the DPP has created a fuss over who should head the Finance Committee," Lo said.
He said that otherwise, the election last week of his lawmaker son, Lo Ming-tsai (
"That explains why DPP lawmaker Tsai Ming-shian (
"He is seeking publicity to boost his showing in the election for Taichung mayor."
It is the third time in two weeks that Lo has appeared in the legislature, though his six-month ban will not expire until Oct. 12. The controversial lawmaker said that by appearing in the legislature, he aimed to stand up to his foes.
He said that "a bunch of rats," fellow lawmakers, had turned the legislature into a circus in his absence.
To restore order, Lo said, he was considering setting up a "rat-busting squad" and disclosing the names of the top 10 villains in each session.
On Wednesday, he threatened to expose the dirty secrets of his colleagues from different parties if they failed to treat his son fairly.
At stake are his and his son's honor and prestige, rather than illicit interests as critics have suggested, the elder Lo contended.
A cross-party negotiation put the ball back in the court of the Finance Committee, which had earlier asked the legislature to decide the matter during its full session.
DPP legislative leader Tsai Huang-liang (
But KMT caucus leader Lee Cheng-chong (
With half of the committee seats under its control, the KMT caucus would try to take two of the three leading berths, Lee added.
Places on the committee, responsible for overseeing the Ministry of Finance and state-owned banks, are among the most hotly contested. A convener is charged with setting the agenda for the committee.
Also yesterday, five DPP legislative candidates -- led by sitting lawmaker Shen Fu-hsiung (
Lo, who was originally elected from the Taipei County constituency, has decided to transfer to the Taipei City south constituency in the election, where the five DPP politicians are running as a team.
The team of five, consisting of Shen, Taipei City councilors Chou Po-ya (
"It is impossible to free the legislature from the influence of money interests and organized crime, as long as Lo remains a member of the assembly," Kuo said.
"These five tigers are clean. There is nothing that can be used as evidence against us. We will block Lo's bid and eradicate that evil cat," Shen said.
"It will not be that easy to prevent me from winning a legislative seat," said Lo, who has yet to formally declare his candidacy. "The so-called five tigers may prove to be five bluffing dogs."
Kuo said if Lo succeeded in his re-election bid, it could create significant problems for the DPP government.
"If Lo could get elected through some unscrupulous means in the Taipei City south constituency, which has the most sophisticated electorate in all of Taiwan, that will pose a crucial test for Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (
The five DPP politicians said something had to be done to free the legislature from the control of the "vicious minority power," calling for quick passage of a legislative reform package put forth by the DPP caucus.
According to the proposal, a group must consist of at least 12 lawmakers in order to form a legislative caucus.
Every legislative caucus has the right to send representatives to inter-party negotiations, where most deals are done. A caucus may be formed by as few as five lawmakers.
For example the National Non-party League, led by Lo, is a group consisting of six lawmakers.
In yet another measure included in the DPP reform package, each legislative committee would be entitled to select one convener only, compared with the current three.
As three openings are available in each committee, a lawmaker may currently become a convener with the support of just a small minority of colleagues.
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
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