Facing fierce criticism from within the pan-blue camp about his handling of the controversial referendum law, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"I was acting according to the Law Governing the Legislature's Exercise of Power (立法院職權行使法) to refer the referendum bill to inter-party consultations amid disagreement among parties. Those lawmakers who have accused me of conspiring with the pan-green camp by abandoning the referendum bill in this legislative session were simply ignorant of legislative procedures," Wang said.
Wang made the comments yesterday at a training camp at the Lee Teng-hui School established by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) while addressing members of the institution.
As the KMT's vice chairman, Wang has stirred up resentment among his KMT colleagues after he closed the session before the legislature had a chance to consider DPP Legislator Trong Chai's (蔡同榮) version of the referendum bill.
A small tussle even broke out between Wang and the KMT's legislative caucus leader Lee Chia-chin (
KMT lawmakers Wang Chung-yu (王鍾渝) and Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), as well as PFP legislative caucus whip Chiu Yi (邱毅) all chided Wang for compromising with the DPP.
The referendum bill was killed in the three-day legislative extraordinary session which ended last Thursday after the pan-blue bloc made a last minute turnabout in its stance to support the bill.
Wang refuted accusations that he had been collaborating with the green camp.
"There wasn't any partisan judgment when I ruled to close the session. My actions were based on a law that stipulates that the bill should be reviewed through inter-party consultations for a maximum of four months until an agreement is reached. My judgment was based solely on the interests of the country," Wang said, adding that "the reactions of some lawmakers are simply their personal opinions."
He also said "as a long-term KMT member, I would never do anything that would harm the party that has nurtured me for so long."
Speaking at the Lee Teng-hui School, Wang said he is often requested to deliver speeches on legislative reform.
Meanwhile, Wang yesterday questioned the wisdom of the idea of cutting the number of lawmakers from 225 to 113 -- a proposal advocated by the DPP.
Cutting the number of seats by half could lead to problems in practice, Wang said, noting for example that there are 12 standing committees in the Legislative Yuan and that dividing the 113 lawmakers among them would leave each committee with 11 or 12 members.
As each committee can operate with only one-third of the committee members in attendance, Wang asked whether it is appropriate "to allow three or four lawmakers to decide on bills of great importance to the country."Also See Story:
Newsmaker: Wang front and center during session
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique