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Caucuses agree on date to reconsider committee
SHOOTING PROBE:
The date remains tentative, but confusion over the bill, which has effectively been vetoed by Cabinet, could be resolved by next week
By Caroline Hong
STAFF REPORTER, WITH AGENCIES
Tuesday, Sep 07, 2004, Page 1
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"The pan-blues did not support us when [we made recommendations for the legislative downsizing bill]. Why should we support them now?"
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Chen Chieh-ju, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union general-secretary
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The controversial statute authorizing the formation of an investigation committee to probe the election-eve shooting of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) will be handled in a plenary session next Tuesday, legislative caucuses agreed yesterday.
The statute was originally passed by the pro-blue majority in the legislature over the opposition of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Aug. 24. The Executive Yuan, however, sent the statute back to the legislature for reconsideration on Friday.
The date was decided during morning negotiations between caucus representatives yesterday. However, since the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union was not present at the meeting, the Sept. 14 date is only tentative and may be subject to change later.
During the meeting, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he would seek the union's approval for the date, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said after the meeting.
When asked about the union's absence from the meeting, union general-secretary Chen Chieh-ju (陳傑儒) said the group was neutral on the issue.
"No one went because the meeting had nothing to do with us. We do not object to any date they've decided on," Chen Chieh-ju said in a telephone interview yesterday.
When asked how union members would vote during the session, Chen said the group would not make an official decision until a meeting to be held today.
The union's neutrality has been a source of frustration for both green and blue camps.
The union plays a key role in the conflict on the statute, since neither the DPP nor the pan-blue side will be able to obtain a majority without the independents' votes.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and its ally the People's First Party (PFP) have both sworn previously not to let a single vote slip through their ranks and vowed to win the union's 13 independent votes.
The lawmakers in the union, however, are not inclined to back the pan-blues, Chen said.
"The pan-blues did not support us when [we made recommendations for the legislative downsizing bill]. Why should we support them now?" he said.
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