Lawmakers fed up with no-shows in legislature

Members of the legislature's Judicial Committee said yesterday they were considering proposing a law that would punish government officials who fail to appear before lawmakers to answer their questions.

Lawmakers, upset that several government officials skipped committee meetings in the legislature yesterday, said the proposed law would hold no-shows in contempt.

Scheduled to appear before lawmakers yesterday were Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南), Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) and Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen (蔡英文).

The three were invited to attend a meeting to review cross-strait marriage issues, but none showed.

Chen Shih-meng (陳師孟), secretary-general to the president, was also asked to attend a meeting of the Organic Laws and Statutes Committee to discuss salaries for the president and vice president, but the deputy secretary-general to the president went instead.

It was the fifth time Chen had failed to appear before lawmakers, and he has not attended any meetings in the legislature since becoming secretary-general to the president on Feb. 1.

"It seems to me that these Cabinet members do not respect the Legislative Yuan at all and treat lawmakers like kids," said DPP Legislator Hsu Chih-ming (徐志明). "To be honest, I'm upset. Very, very much."

PFP lawmaker Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧), chairwoman of the Judicial Committee, said a law should be passed that would hold absentee government officials in contempt.

Shen's proposal was backed by TSU lawmaker Su Ying-kuei (蘇盈貴). "In addition to passing the new law, I think we should make it a part of the Criminal Code," Su said.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that he has told Premier Yu Shyi-kun in a meeting on Sunday night that it was the clear responsibility of Cabinet members to attend the legislature's regular meetings.

Wang said communications between the executive and legislative branches would go from bad to worse should the absentee records of government officials fail to improve.

"[Yu] promised me that he would ask Cabinet members to stop being constantly absent for legislative meetings," Wang said.

The legislative speaker said government officials should attend meetings whenever invited.

"If they're too busy in the daytime, well, they'll be more than welcome to reschedule the meeting with lawmakers and do it at night. We don't mind at all," Wang said.

PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安) said lawmakers would take other measures if necessary should government officials continue to skip legislative meetings.

"I hope that these government officials did not do it on purpose," she said. "Also, I would urge them to stop doing this, because we'll definitely fight back when we can't stand it anymore."

Members of the Organic Laws and Statutes Committee yesterday threatened to hold back funding for the Presidential Office after Chen Shih-meng failed to show.

Cabinet Spokesman Chuang Suo-hang (莊碩漢) said Cabinet members weren't missing meetings intentionally.

"We hope to have good communications with lawmakers. We never mean to ignore them," Chuang said.