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Links bill nixed amid legislative chaos

Governing and opposition party lawmakers scuffle on the floor of the legislature yesterday. PHOTO: WALLY SANTANA, AP

Pandemonium broke out on the legislative floor yesterday as the pan-green camp for the third time blocked a proposal to establish direct transport links with China from being put to a vote -- with one legislator even snatching the proposal away and stuffing it in her mouth in protest.

On the last day of the legislative session, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) proposed that their cross-strait direct links proposal be put to a vote.

Cross-party negotiations on the amendments to the Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) began at 9am, but after two hours of fruitless talks, the pan-blue camp took the issue to the legislative floor.

The pan-blue camp's proposal would lift restrictions on cross-strait transport, effective three months after the amendments were passed.

The pan-green camp has opposed the measure on the grounds that it would undermine the government's authority to set cross-strait economic policy.

Pan-blue legislators try to retrieve their direct links proposal after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Shu-hui, center, stuffed it in her mouth. PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FENG, TAIPEI TIMES

The pan-green camp had vowed that it would thwart the pan-blue's efforts, and it made good on that promise again yesterday.

Snatched away

Just as PFP Legislator Ko Shu-ming (柯淑敏) was about to submit the revised clauses to be voted on one by one, DPP Legislator Wang Shu-hui (王淑慧) grabbed the proposal paper from Ko's hands and stuffed it in her mouth, in a sudden move that astonished other lawmakers.

Wang later spat out the document and tore it up after opposition lawmakers failed to get her to cough it up by pulling her hair.

During the melee, another DPP legislator, Chuang Ho-tzu (莊和子), spat at an opposition colleague.

"She spat saliva," yelled Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) of the KMT.

Other pan-green and pan-blue lawmakers began to shove and shout at each other, forcing the legislative session to grind to a halt amid the chaotic free-for-all.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) several times urged lawmakers to calm down, but was roundly ignored.

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There was a second round of chaos in the late afternoon, with lawmakers once again clashing with each other. Wang then announced a review of other provisional motions, while the pan-blue camp boycotted all motions proposed by the pan-green camp. The session then shuddered to a halt as Deputy Legislative Speaker Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉) announced the legislature had adjourned for the summer.

With the pan-blue camp's refusal to extend the legislative session, the legislature went into a recess until September.

Only 75 bills were passed during the past legislative session. Many major bills have been postponed, including the arms procurement bill, the special budgets for the Special Statute for Increasing Investment in Public Construction (擴大公共建設投資特別條例), bills on the regulation of rivers and the approval of the appointment of new Control Yuan members and the state public prosecutor-general.

Those issues will not be taken up until the fall, unless a special session is held.

DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said that the DPP will propose an extraordinary secession to enable some important bills to be passed. The Taiwan Solidarity Union caucus said it supported that proposal.

But the PFP caucus said it would consent to holding an extraordinary secession. The KMT caucus said that it will discuss the matter in order to decide whether to accept the DPP's suggestion.

KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) later yesterday denounced the pan-green camp for blocking the establishment of direct transport links by taking over the podium in the legislature.

"We hope that the governing party will take measures to restrain its members from taking over the podium. Taiwan will lose face if they keep doing this," Ma said.

Ma called on the pan-green camp to sit down and discuss the issue rationally with opposition parties.

"Businesses and the general public all want the bill to pass the legislature, but the ruling party has blocked it with such a measure. History will judge this," he said.

Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
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