The pan-green and pan-blue camps will resume their fight in the legislature today over how legislative reforms are to proceed.
An earlier consensus reached by the legislature's Constitutional Amendment Committee said that all nine amendments should be reviewed by the committee before proceeding to the second and third readings and then to the National Assembly.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The National Assembly convenes only when constitutional reforms or national boundary changes have been passed by the legislature by a three-quarters majority or when a move to impeach the president or vice president has been passed by a two-thirds majority.
Determined to pass before the presidential election the constitutional amendment to halve the number of legislative seats, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses said yesterday that they are set to propose a change to today's legislative agenda.
They would like to see an additional plenary meeting on March 18 for the second and third reading of the constitutional revision to halve the number of seats.
Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) caucuses said they welcome the plan, they want to bundle the seat-reduction plan with eight other constitutional changes.
The Constitutional Amendment Committee approved during its first preliminary review session on Wednesday reducing the number of seats from 225 to 113 by 2008 and to lengthen legislative terms from three years to four.
They also agreed to change the way legislators are chosen from the current multi-member district, one-vote electoral system to the single-member district, two-vote system.
The remaining eight constitutional amendment issues include adjusting the terms of Control Yuan members, lowering the voting age and revoking compulsory military service.
DPP caucus leader Tsai Huang-liang (
"I hope they mean it this time when they pledge to push for legislative reforms. We'd really hate to see them boycott the initiative again," Huang said.
Huang said it would make sense to push through the constitutional amendments on which the rival camps agree and continue to negotiate over those they do not.
TSU caucus leader Chen Chien-ming (
"The only explanation I can think of is that they want to stall the process of [passing] constitutional amendments as long as possible and make legislative reform difficult for everyone," he said.
KMT caucus leader Liao Feng-te (
PFP caucus leader Hsieh Chang-chieh (
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft