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DPP and KMT squabble over `recess'

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials traded barbs yesterday over allegations that the KMT was planning to call a legislative recess before the presidential election in March.

DPP officials called the alleged plan ridiculous and irresponsible, while the KMT dismissed the media reports as speculation.

Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠), vice executive director of the DPP's Policy Committee, told a press conference that legislators should heed their responsibilities by keeping the legislature running.

He challenged KMT legislators' comments that it was a convention for the legislature to go into recess before a presidential election to allow lawmakers to campaign for their party's candidate, saying the legislature had not been closed before the 2004 presidential poll.

DPP legislator-elect Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said a legislator receives about NT$180,000 (US$5,500) in salary, NT$420,000 in subsidies for assistants and NT$120,000 for general expenses each month, or a total of NT$720,000.

If the new legislative session opens on Feb. 1, goes into recess on Feb. 3 and reopens after the March 22 election, the government would waste around NT$117 million during the break.

Huang said the KMT wanted to suspend the legislature's operations amid concerns that its members might perform poorly in the legislature and spoil the party's chances in the presidential election.

He said it was even more ridiculous for the KMT to demand that its legislators be relieved of their duties so that they could campaign for Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

DPP legislative caucus Wang Tuoh (王拓) said the issue of whether or not the legislature should call a recess prior to the presidential race should be determined by the legislators themselves in accordance with legislative rules and procedures.

In response, KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) yesterday dismissed speculation that the party would call a legislative recess, saying the party realized that voters could put them out of office if it did not perform well.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who was also at the conference, said he would hold cross-party negotiations after the legislature convenes on Feb. 1 to decide when it would start operations and whether the new legislative session should be suspended ahead of the presidential poll.

Wang said the KMT would propose starting operations on Feb. 22 and holding elections for committee heads on Feb. 29.

The party will also recommend that the legislative session not be halted until March 18 -- five days before the March 22 presidential poll.

Wang also lashed out at the DPP, calling the DPP allegation an "election ploy."

Earlier yesterday, KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) told reporters it was customary for the legislature to halt its session before a presidential election as it was done in 1996 and 2000.

However, the KMT does not have any preference on the matter, Kuo said, adding that the KMT caucus would not stay idle before the presidential election even if cross-party negotiations favored an early suspension of the session.

"The KMT caucus promises the public that we will not stop our work ... as the major party in the legislature, the KMT will shoulder its responsibilities," she said.

Kuo said many groups had been "misled" by the DPP into believing that the KMT would like to suspend the session given its absolute majority in the legislature.

Several academics, including Alexander Lu (呂亞力), chairman of the political science department at Chinese Culture University, and political science professors Chang Lin-cheng (張麟徵) of National Taiwan University and Yang Jih-ching (楊日清) of National Chengchi University, criticized the KMT yesterday over its alleged intention to call an early halt to the new legislative session.

KMT Legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩), who ran in the Jan. 12 elections under the New Party flag, said on Sunday that it would be wrong for the KMT to suspend the new session.

She said the KMT should donate two months' worth of salary of its 81 legislators to the public if the session was suspended.

Lei said such a donation could total NT$126 million, including lawmaker's pay and aides' salaries.

Additional reporting by CNA
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