Legislature to ignore court hearing on injunction bid

Amid verbal clashes and political bickering, the legislature yesterday decided that it would not send any representatives to a court hearing for the pan-green camp's temporary injunction application on 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).

But despite the skirmishes, the committee started work yesterday morning. Former Judicial Yuan president Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚) was elected as convener by the 10 members nominated by the pan-blue camp.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), who filed the injunction request against the statute, yesterday confirmed that they would participate in the hearing.

The Judicial Yuan has requested that the DPP, the TSU and the legislature each designate representatives by tomorrow to attend the court hearing scheduled for Oct. 14.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that the legislature would not send anyone because lawmakers failed to reach a consensus during yesterday's cross-party talks on the injunction bid.

"Many people don't agree that the legislature should be listed as the plaintiff in the case," Wang told reporters.

"As the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute has been passed into law, I'm calling on the ruling and opposition parties to respect the dignity of the lawmaking body," he said.

DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said that the party would send a representative.

"We'll definitely attend, because we're one of the parties filing the request. The legislature is relinquishing its rights if it decides not to appear in court," Ker said.

The DPP is expected to send Legislator Yu Ching (尤清), and the TSU may send Legislator Wu Tong-sheng (吳東昇). Both are lawyers.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) said that the KMT is refusing to take part in the hearing because the request is illegal and unconstitutional.

"Neither the Constitution nor any existing law provides for the the so-called `immediate temporary injunction,' so there shouldn't be any plaintiff or accused," he said.

Verbal clashes also erupted during the meeting of the Judiciary Committee. People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) said the Judicial Yuan was setting "the worst example" and putting a "diaper" on the DPP.

DPP lawmakers called Chou "shameless" and accused him of insulting the grand justices.

The DPP yesterday urged the Executive Yuan to neither cooperate with the "questionable committee," nor allocate any money to cover its operational costs.

In related news, actor Richard Gere -- in an interview aired on TVBS yesterday -- weighed in on the question of whether President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) faked the assassination attempt. Gere said that he didn't believe Chen staged the March 19 shooting.

"What I thought was kind of bizarre was that the opposition assumed that he had set it up, in some way had himself shot," Gere said.