President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen's announcement came amid speculation that DPP Secretary General Chang Chun-hsiung (
Addressing the party meeting in Taipei, Chen said "the Control Yuan is an important mirror and the a needed `antiseptic' for the government."
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"In order to provide the Control Yuan with the ability to provide impartial and effective monitoring for the government, I declare that I'll nominate a non-DPP candidate for the next Control Yuan president," he said.
High-ranking party sources said yesterday that Chen wants Chang seek the job as Legislative Yuan speaker if the pan-green camp achieves a legislative majority after the year-end elections.
One of Chen's aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the president wants Chang to continue leading the DPP in the campaign for the December polls and assist him in implementing reforms for the legislature, in cross-strait relations and in taxation policies.
"President Chen is actually trying to give Chang a far more important task -- to head the legislature. Chang will be nominated as a legislator-at-large would then rejoin the legislature to help Chen push through major constitutional reform policies," the source said.
Chang served six terms as a legislator.
He said yesterday that he would respect Chen's decision to list him at the top of the party's legislator-at-large list and ask him to to vie for the speaker position.
In other developments at the congress meeting yesterday was the election of 30 members to the party's highest administrative body -- the Central Executive Committee (CEC) -- whose members then chose from among themselves the 10 members of the Central Standing Committee.
The two committees work together to implement decisions of the National Congress.
The was fierce competition among factions for committee posts. The three most popular figures -- all seen as possible successors to Chen -- Premier Yu Shyi-kun, Secretary General to the Presidential Office Su Tseng-chang (
Although Yu has been designated by President Chen as a CSC member, he assigned Vice Premier Yeh Chu-lan (
Su also did participate in the CSC election in order to meet Chen's request that government officials be neutral to party affairs. Su, however, appointed former director of DPP's Taipei County chapter Tsai Hsien-hao (
Both Yeh and Tsai were elected.
Factional representation in the CSC remained firm. Hsieh, head of Welfare State Alliance, received the highest votes to become the No. 1 member on the committee. The Alliance also became the largest faction, taking four seats.
The New Tide Faction ended up with just two seats, while the Justice Alliance, of which Chen is the former leader, ended up with just one seat. The Green Friendship Alliance, comprised of those who were involved in the democratic Formosa Incident movement, took two seats.
Congress delegates also passed a revision to the party's disciplinary regulations barring any DPP member who holds a position in the central government from taking up posts in factional organizations or participating in any factional activities. Violators face punishments of expulsion or having their party membership suspended for at least one year.
The congress also served as a change for the party's 90 legislative candidates to campaign. The candidates vowed to secure a majority in the legislature along the party's ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Chen said the greens would seek a majority in order to promote good governance and alleviate the deadlock between the ruling and opposition parties.
He also said a pan-green majority was needed so that several major bills now stalled in the legislature could be passed, including one on an investigation into the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) illegally acquired party assets.
Also see story:
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
RSS