Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
The meeting follows a second failed recall motion against the president in the legislature on Friday.
In addition to a PFP plan to topple the Cabinet in the legislature, the meeting also touched on the issue of pan-blue unity in the upcoming Taipei mayoral elections. Soong has indicated he will enter the race and has refused to make any concessions to the KMT on his candidacy.
Soong is expected to announce his intention to run in the election on Tuesday, while KMT mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) has said he "respects" Soong's decision to compete.
Ma and Soong held two closed-door meetings last December to discuss issues including pan-blue unity and the arms procurement bill, but they failed to reach substantive agreement.
no limits
"There are no limits to what we will discuss during the meeting. We will talk about everything," Ma said earlier yesterday in Kaohsiung while stumping for KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Huang Chun-yin (
The pan-blue camp is divided over whether to initiate a no-confidence vote in the legislature against Premier Su Tseng-chang (
While Soong had said that his party would propose a no-confidence measure against Su on Friday and "would not stop until the president dismisses the legislature," the KMT has been more prudent.
"We are not afraid of the proposal but we must think about the consequences," said KMT caucus whip Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆). "It would be a disaster if the premier was voted down and the legislature was dismissed but President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) remained in his position continuing to call the shots."
Tsai said he thought the timing to bring down the Cabinet was inappropriate, just like the timing of the failed second recall motion.
If Chen opted to appoint a new premier rather than dissolving the legislature after Su was driven out of office, Tsai doubted it would please most of Chen's opponents.
unjust election?
If Chen decided to call a snap election, Tsai said he was worried that a poorly thought out redistricting plan would produce an unjust election.
Tsai said that the KMT caucus needed to hold a meeting to address the issue and reach a consensus on the matter.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Yeh Yi-ching (
It had not thought ahead about the consequences of a no-confidence motion, Yeh said.
The DPP will suggest that the president dismiss the Legislative Yuan and hold fresh legislative elections if the no-confidence vote passes, said Yeh, but then the legislature and the Executive Yuan may be paralyzed as a result.
She urged lawmakers who had signed their names on the motion to withdraw their support for the proposal.
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned