Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday that the second phase of constitutional reform that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has vowed to pursue -- which he says will create a new constitution suited to Taiwan by 2008 -- will commence as soon as the National Assembly approves a first round of constitutional amendments today.
Su made the remarks yesterday during a tour of Yangmingshan's Chungshan Hall, the meeting place of the National Assembly, to familiarize himself with the voting procedures and exhort DPP delegates to be on time for today's assembly and cast ballots approving the constitutional amendments.
The 300-member assembly, which met for the first time yesterday, is scheduled to vote today on the constitutional amendments passed by the legislature last August. The amendments will halve the size of the legislature and change how it is elected, permanently abolish the National Assembly and make referendums the mechanism for approving future amendments to the Constitution.
Su said the DPP is confident that everything will go smoothly today.
"Although we have 10 delegates on the waiting list and on standby tomorrow in case any delegates are late for the vote, I am confident that none of our 127 delegates will be substituted," Su said.
Committee Needed
As for the contents of the second phase of constitutional reforms, Su said that the president will invite legal experts and elites from each political party to form a committee on constitutional reform.
The committee will discuss how to enhance human-rights protection, streamline government and put the Partnership Treaty between the Aboriginal Peoples and Government of Taiwan into the Constitution.
On the question of whether Chen will attend today's vote, the president of the presidium, DPP delegate Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) said yesterday that the DPP will not file a motion to invite Chen to attend and that Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun will supervise the voting process today on Chen's behalf.
Meanwhile, the DPP assembly caucus yesterday also determined that DPP delegates will not receive any salary for their service at the assembly, and asked the assembly's expense audit panel to make public all its expenditures in order to dispel criticism that delegates are wasting taxpayers' money.
"Many of our delegates, most of whom are professionals, cannot accept media reports that describe them as `greedy and lazy' and only caring about what they are going to eat during their meeting," DPP assembly caucus leader Chen Ta-chun (陳大鈞) said yesterday, asking the press to stop criticizing the delegates and instead focus on the amendments.
Clear Position
The DPP yesterday also canceled its participation in the forum on constitutional reforms held at 2pm.
"The reason why we decided not to attend the forum is because we want to shorten the meeting hours and help the forum proceed more smoothly," DPP caucus whip Chen Hui-hsin (陳惠馨) said. "In fact, there is no regulation in the Statute Governing the Operation of the National Assembly (國大職權行使法) stipulating that a forum or discussion should be held."
Chen Hui-hsin said that the DPP had fully conveyed its opinions on the the constitutional reforms throughout the National Assembly elections. However, in order to respect the small parties' desire to voice their opinions, the DPP did not try to block the forum from taking place.
Early in the day, TSU presidium member Annie Lee (李安妮) resigned from her post to protest the assembly's resolution to pass the amendments as one package. Making a last-ditch gesture of opposition to the constitutional amendments, Lee yesterday afternoon ordered each of the TSU delegates to vote against the amendments and urged DPP and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegates to annotate their ballots even though they approved the amendments.
The constitutional amendments set to be approved today are expected to benefit the larger parties such as the KMT and DPP, but put smaller parties like the TSU at a distinct disadvantage.
Also see stories:
Assembly poised to vote itself into history
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