The arms-procurement bill again failed to pass the legislature's Procedure Committee yesterday, all but dashing government hopes for it to be reviewed by the legislature before legislative elections next month.
There is one more committee session to be held next Tuesday, but even if the bill is passed at that meeting, there will not be another sitting of the current legislative session to allow the statute to be delivered to relevant committees for review.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The bill's failure to pass the committee resulted from objections by the pan-blue camp, with some opposition legislators expressing hostility toward the bill before the meeting started.
Yesterday's highly anticipated meeting saw the presence of committee members who otherwise rarely attend.
Though there were neither lunch box fights nor scuffles yesterday, the committee members verbally abused each other and quarreled throughout the meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), who opened the session with an instruction that lunch boxes be taken from the room. Tsai also condemned Hsieh Ta-ning (謝大寧), who resigned as convener of the Democracy Advancement Alliance yesterday, for accusing unnamed lawmakers of being bribed by the Ministry of National Defense to support the bill. The ministry has commenced legal action against Hsieh.
Speaking on the bill, pan-green camp committee members said it was necessary to fortify the nation's defenses, while pan-blue camp members suggested the bill would be best put aside until after the election so that the public could have a say in the issue.
"If the pan-blue camp really considers the cost to be too high, at least we should allow the bill to pass the committee and let the lawmakers conduct a professional debate on the issue in the relevant committees," DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
One pan-blue camp lawmaker said the election should determine the fate of the bill.
"Lawmakers who support or object to the deal will be able to see what the people really want after the election. It is better to discuss the deal after the election," People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Yung-ping (李永萍) said.
But when the time came to vote on the bill, Tsai announced an adjournment, and pan-green lawmakers left the meeting in protest.
As the lawmakers withdrew, the two camps hurled insults at each other. Pan-green lawmakers called the pan-blue legislators members of a "China Party," while the pan-blue lawmakers scolded the pan-green lawmakers for being members of a "War Party."
Tsai himself disappeared for a while, leading to speculation that he had abandoned the session. But later he returned, with only two DPP lawmakers in tow. The pan-green camp lost the resulting vote.
While the two camps argued on the bill inside the legislature, anti-arms-bill activists, organized by the Democracy Advancement Alliance, protested outside. Pro-arms-bill legislative candidates and their supporters, some manning a truck modified to look like a tank, also made their presence felt.
The two sides scuffled sporadically, but no injuries were reported.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun expressed disappointment at the bill's failure to pass the committee.
"The deal was first planned and settled on when KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS