The statute governing the arms deal with the US failed to pass the Procedure Committee yesterday as the pan-blue camp claimed they objected to the statute in response to US Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement that "Taiwan is not a sovereign state," and the meeting ended in confusion as the lawmakers from the two camps threw their lunch boxes and other items at each other to vent their frustration.
The pan-blue camp lawmakers boycotted the statute yesterday, saying that if Powell does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, then Taiwan should refrain from buying weapons from the US.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
While the Cabinet put forward its version of the statute for consideration yesterday, the People First Party (PFP) caucus withdrew its version as a protest to Powell's comments.
PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (
"I suggest the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) revise its version to withdraw all arms deals with the US. If the US does not acknowledge [Taiwan] as a sovereign state, we should not buy any weapons from the US," Liu said when commenting officially on the bills arranged to be reviewed in the committee yesterday.
While Liu was making the statement, several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers chanted, "Powell doesn't love Taiwan," and "We are not intimidated."
In the end, the pan-blue camp again got its way with its majority in the committee, but the meeting ended in chaos after KMT Legislator Chu Fung-chih (
Chu and KMT Legislator Hung Shiu-chu (
Chen threw things back, but shortly after the exchange DPP caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of National Defense Lei Kuang-shu (
While the PFP boycotted the statute in protest of Powell's speech, the KMT caucus used the chance to warn the public against independence.
"Taiwan's independence is a dead-end, and it may bring disaster for Taiwan," KMT caucus whip Huang Teh-fu (
"The KMT insists that the ROC is an independent country, and we object to the international powerhouse's arrangement for Taiwan's future. Taiwan's future should be decided by its 23 million people," Huang said.
Meanwhile, both the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said they were upset by Powell's comments.
"The DPP caucus cannot accept Powell's talk, which is unfaithful to the facts. We have to make grave protests against it. So far there is no other country that can exercise its administrative power in Taiwan. So if Taiwan is not a sovereign state, what is Taiwan?" Tsai said.
TSU expressed similar sentiment and said that President Chen Shui-bian (
"Chen should tell international society clearly that Taiwan is a sovereign state, which is not related to China," TSU caucus whip Chen Chien-ming (
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