Amid protests and boycotts staged by smaller parties, the National Assembly yesterday voted in favor of constitutional amendments passed by the Legislative Yuan last August, transferring the assembly's power to ratify constitutional amendments and territorial changes to the people.
"This is a victory for the people," Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidium member who chaired yesterday's sitting, told reporters after the voting. "Under the guidelines of second-phase constitutional amendments set down by the DPP, we will now continue down the road of constitutional reform and deepening of democracy."
With one assembly member resigning and another failing to take the oath, the 298-member National Assembly voted 249 to 48, with one invalid ballot, in favor of the constitutional amendment package.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
NO MORE ASSEMBLIES
The amendments abolish the National Assembly, and future bills regarding amendments and territorial changes will need to be ratified by the public via referendum after being passed by the legislature.
The amendment also halves the number of legislative seats from the current 225 down to 113 and adopts a "single-member district, two vote" system for legislative elections starting in 2008. At that time, lawmakers' terms will also be increased from three to four years.
The amendments also stipulate that when the legislature wants to pass a resolution to impeach the president or vice president, the resolution needs to be proposed by a simple majority of the Legislative Yuan. The consent of two-thirds of the legislature is required to pass the resolution.
After the resolution is passed, the legislature can ask the Council of Grand Justices to review it in the Constitutional Court, and if the court agrees with the resolution, the official to be impeached will be immediately relieved of his or her post.
Before the voting, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), the People First Party (PFP) and other small parties, such as the Chinese People's Party and the civic alliance led by Chang Ya-chung (
Holding placards reading "ridiculous constitutional amendments will create more trouble for a million years," the TSU's 21 assembly members called on other delegates to make a note on their ballots to voice their opposition to the constitutional amendments.
The PFP's 18 delegates, chanting "opposing crude constitutional amendments" and holding placards reading "illegal to show ballots," protested to Yeh that no PFP delegates were chosen to supervise the voting.
PFP members then started pounding on tables and chanting slogans on the stage, including "long live the Republic Of China," leaving the pro-independence TSU stunned.
`DISRESPECT'
New Party delegate Chou Yang-san (周陽山) even filed a motion to unseat DPP delegate Yeh. The TSU gave its endorsement, claiming that Yeh disrespected smaller parties and failed to handle the sitting impartially because Yeh had refused TSU delegate Annie Lee's (李安妮) request to speak about her resignation from the presidium.
Despite the support of the TSU, the PFP and other smaller parties for the proposal, the assembly, dominated by the DPP and KMT, voted against Chou's proposal. A second round of voting also rejected the motion, with only 48 delegates voting in favor. The sitting was delayed for about an hour before the main vote took place.
Earlier yesterday morning, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun and DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
Yu called on opposition parties to recognize mainstream public opinion and push for the second phase of constitutional reform.
MOVING FORWARD
"The second phase of constitutional reform will begin as soon as the National Assembly completes the constitutional amendment package today," he said.
"The second phase of constitutional reform will not touch on such sensitive issues as sovereignty, the national title, territorial boundaries or independence from or unification with China, because there is no public consensus," he said.
It would, on the other hand, deal with the government system, government branches, the Taiwan Provincial Government, military service and civil rights, he said.
KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (
"While the DPP should put more effort in improving people's livelihoods, it focuses on pushing for constitutional reforms for its own political interests," he said. "Until the public reaches a consensus over the second round of constitutional amendments, the DPP should rein in its horses."
Also see stories:
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
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
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS