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Legislators scuffle over draft NCC bill

Legislators hold signs denouncing the pan-blues' National Communications Commission bill yesterday, at the legislature in Taipei. Legislators got into a scuffle yesterday over different versions of the proposal for a National Communications Commission to supervise the media. PHOTO: AP

Amid shouting and physical clashes, the organic bill of the proposed national communications commission (NCC) was left in legislative limbo yesterday, as the pan-green camp staged a rare protest to counter its political rival's habitual opposition to government bills.

The bill will be discussed again in the plenary legislative session on Oct. 11. Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday promised to call more cross-party meetings to discuss the NCC bill, as well as the cross-strait peace advancement bill, in a bid to iron out differences.

Lawmakers across party lines yesterday also agreed to invite Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and other government officials concerned to report next year's budget request and take lawmakers' questions on Friday and Tuesday.

Before adjourning the meeting at 5:36pm, Wang condemned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for seizing and wrecking the speaker's desk and microphone.

"It is every lawmaker's responsibility to safeguard the legislature's dignity," Wang said. "I am sorry to see DPP lawmakers take possession of the speaker's seat and ravage it. I hope all legislative caucuses in the future will exercise more restraint and follow legislative procedures."

The legislature was at a standstill at around 11:25am when People First Party (PFP) Legislator Li Yong-ping (李永萍) was expressing her opinion on the NCC bill.

DPP lawmakers suddenly sprinted to Wang's desk and commandeered his gavel.

They then started pounding Wang's desk with the gavel as well as with agenda books and lawmaker's manuals, while shouting "Dismiss the legislature!" and "The legislature is dead!"

Other DPP lawmakers held placards reading "Safeguard press freedom," "Pan-blue's NCC version is `DCC' [D apparently referring to dirty]" and "Professional and independent commission vs partisan spoiling system."

Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) lawmakers staged a sit-in on the legislative floor, holding banners reading "Fake reform, real seizure-of-power," "Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and PFP suffocate NCC," and "Media future miserable."

The pan-blue camp responded with "Respect the legislature," "Safeguard press freedom" and "One-party control vs multi-party participation."

Instead of calling in security guards to maintain order, Wang ordered a recess and let the two camps continue to vent their grievances.

While the pan-blue alliance was retreating to their seats, a skirmish broke out between Hung and DPP Legislator Yu Jan-daw (余政道), who was trying to grab her megaphone.

KMT Legislator Pai Tien-chih (白添枝) managed to take it back, but DPP Sandy Chuang (莊和子) attacked KMT Legislator Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝).

Chuang pulled Liao's hair and knocked off her spectacles, while Liao responded with a hard push.

Chuang was later taken to the nearby National Taiwan University Hospital, but KMT lawmakers blasted Chuang for faking injuries. Determined not to let Chuang get all the media attention, Liao also went to the legislature's medical center for treatment.

Both camps then accused the other of starting the scuffle, and the KMT accused Yu of causing the mayhem under the influence of alcohol. Yu, however, denied the allegation and threatened to file a lawsuit against Legislator Kuo Su-chun (郭素春), who Yu said hit him on the head during the disturbance.

The imbroglio was motivated by the pan-green camp's embarrassing defeat in the showdown, as the pan-blue alliance used its numerical advantage to change the order of nine bills on the agenda.

Frustrated, the DPP walked out of the meeting, while the TSU occupied the podium.

The pan-blue camp voted in favor of pushing forward the PFP's cross-strait peace advancement bill, the condemnation motion against the premier, as well as six other bills, to the plenary legislative session for a second reading, instead of to committee for review. Among them were the draft amendments to 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) and the Organic Law of the Central Election Commission (中選會組織法).

Meanwhile, the pan-blue camp dubbed the Government Information Office (GIO) the government's "political hitman" for running a full-page ad in Chinese-language newspapers that slammed the NCC bill proposed by the pan-blue camp.

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said yesterday the controversies over the draft of the NCC should be solved and evaluated by a special committee comprised of experts and academics, and political parties should keep their hands off the draft.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), the mayor of Taipei, told reporters yesterday that the GIO's advertisement "takes my breath away in astonishment."

"I've never seen the GIO do this kind of thing before. I thought it was an advertisement posted by a political party," Ma said after a Taipei City municipal meeting yesterday morning.

Cabinet Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the opposition parties have been abusing their legislative majority for so long that the GIO ran the ad to help make the public aware both of the government's problems and the irrationality of the opposition parties.

Additional reporting by Jewel Huang and Mo Yan-chih
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