Cooperation in the "pan-green" camp ground to a halt yesterday, after a TSU lawmaker accused three of his DPP colleagues of profiting through interfering with bids for the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, sparking a near-physical confrontation and a day of angry recrimination.
In contrast to the behind-the-scenes resentment that has characterized their relationship in the past, yesterday's disputes were both severe and public, and appear to have seriously impaired the parties' relationship.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
First challenged by DPP lawmaker Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) at the legislative chamber, TSU lawmaker Su Ying-kwei (蘇盈貴) was later involved in an angry war of words at the entrance of the main legislative building with DPP lawmaker Cheng Tsao-min (鄭朝明) and his wife Huang Ying-chu (黃英桔).
Shouting erupted following Su's allegation, first made on Tuesday, that Cheng, along with two other DPP law-makers, Liang Mu-yang (
Su charges that the accused lawmakers interfered with the bidding process for the building of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in an effort to let certain companies win the contracts.
Huang, who is also an aide of Cheng's, demanded that Su must present his evidence.
Apparently losing her composure, Huang pushed Su and was poised to strike him when guards broke up the two.
In the legislative chamber a while earlier, Wang asked Su to show his proof and sign an agreement which would, Wang said, make certain that all individuals involved in the case would be held accountable for their conduct.
The agreement is supposed to have said that the three DPP lawmakers should resign if they are proved to have been connected to the scandal, otherwise the accusers, Su and PFP lawmaker Chiu Yi (
What's more, the dispute has provoked tension within the TSU, as most of its legislators would just as soon see the entire dispute come to a quick end.
For this reason, Su felt "betrayed" by their party comrades.
"It is not an issue that I can make an apology for. It is a matter of right and wrong. To have a sense of what's right and wrong is the basic principle of being a human being," Su said after his colleague, Huang Chung-yuan (黃宗源), offered an apology to the DPP on Su's behalf.
"My purpose [for identifying the DPP legislators] was to establish a sound system in the government. I had no intention of hurting anyone."
Huang Chung-yuan said earlier at a press conference that he was sorry his colleague has harmed the reputation of DPP lawmakers before presenting evidence finding them guilty. He said he would like to make an apology in Su's name.
Fearing that the fights would continue to strain relations between the "pan greens," leaders of the two caucuses have begun talks to calm tensions.
Nonetheless, legislators across party lines yesterday demanded an immediate investigation to ascertain the accuracy of the accusations.
The three DPP legislators involved in the incident ended the day maintaining their innocence and vowing to commit suicide if evidence shows they committed any misconduct in the case.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS