The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) vowed to appeal to the Council of Grand Justices for a constitutional interpretation after the legislature yesterday rejected the Executive Yuan's request to reconsider a controversial statute authorizing the formation of a committee probing the March 19 shootings.
"We will apply to the Judicial Yuan for a constitutional interpretation on the statute tomorrow," DPP caucus whip Lee Chun-yee (
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The vote ensures the imminent promulgation of the statute, which mandates the formation of the investigative committee.
According to the Constitution, the president has to promulgate a law within 10 days after the Legislative Yuan delivers the bill to the Presidential Office.
The Executive Yuan had asked the legislature to reconsider the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例) because of concern that it might violate the Constitution and encroach on the judicial system.
The legislature handled the reconsideration request on the first day of its last session yesterday.
A total of 114 lawmakers voted in favor of the statute.
To override a Cabinet veto, at least 109 lawmakers -- a simple majority of the 217 seats in the 225-seat legislature that are presently filled -- have to vote in favor of the statute. Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) caucuses together have 112 members, the two caucuses only managed to secure 108 votes yesterday, and would not have managed to reject the request were it not for support from the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU).
The NPSU contributed five votes, and independent Legislator Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴) also voted against the reconsideration request.
The failure to invalidate the bill came as an expected but still heavy blow to the DPP, and both the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucuses said that they would not give up their fight against the statute. They said they would apply to the Council of Grand Justices for an interpretation on the statute.
"If the pan-green camp wins a majority of seats in the legislative elections, the TSU caucus will propose that the statute be amended," TSU caucus whip Huang Chung-yung (黃宗源) said.
The DPP and the TSU caucuses both criticized the pan-blue camp for rejecting the reconsideration request and asked the public to use their votes in the legislative elections to denounce the pan-blue politicians who voted against the request. They also said they would not nominate any members for the committee.
However, the DPP's application for a constitutional interpretation will not prevent the statute being signed into law, as it is unlikely that the Council of Grand Justices will reach a decision before the president is required to promulgate the statute.
The committee would consist of members drawn from outside the legislature, the Control Yuan or other government agencies and state-run businesses.
The DPP can appoint six members from outside these circles, the KMT five, the PFP four, the TSU one and the NPSU one.
The statute stipulates that the committee has the right to investigate all criminal matters relating to the March 19 shooting, and that it will enjoy powers similar to those of prosecutors when conducting investigations.
The pan-blue camp, meanwhile, worked hard to ensure its triumph. With KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The KMT even succeeded in facilitating the return of two long-absent lawmakers, Her Jyh-huei (
But three KMT lawmakers remained absent from yesterday's session: Chen Hung-chang (
On the PFP's side, only former basketball player Cheng Chih-lung (
The Executive Yuan yesterday expressed regret at the result and vowed to request a freeze of the legislation until the Council of Grand Justices rules on the statute.
"This piece of legislation re-presents a step backward in the nation's democratic development and symbolizes a shameless stain in the nation's democratic history," Premier Yu Shyi-kun told a press conference last night.
Minister without Portfolio Hsu Chih-hsiung (
"This is the worst piece of legislation I've ever seen since martial law was lifted," he said. "In a bid to safeguard human rights, the public interest and the constitutional system, the best solution is to ask the Council of Grand Justices to halt the implementation of the statute until they reach a decision on the law's constitutionality."
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
RSS