The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday voted down both a motion initiated by opposition parties inviting President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to deliver a national report to the legislature as well as a proposal to reject the policy decision to increase electricity rates which Ma supports.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the People First Party (PFP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) asked for a vote during a plenary session on a motion asking Ma to brief lawmakers on recent policies that have caused widespread public anger and answers questions from lawmakers, after the proposal was blocked by the KMT at the legislature’s Procedure Committee on Tuesday.
Holding up posters on the floor of the chamber, opposition lawmakers said that Ma should report to the legislature as a matter of course and urged the president not to ignore lawmakers when “people are destitute.”
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
The motion was voted down by a vote 51 to 39. Seven lawmakers from the opposition camp did not show up for the vote.
“What on the earth is Ma Ying-jeou afraid of? Why is he too scared to come to the legislature? It is his constitutional responsibility,” DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said at a press conference after the vote.
Opposition parties said that since being re-elected on Jan. 14, Ma has failed to address the public to assuage concerns over issues ranging from a plan to ease a ban on imports of US beef containing the feed additive ractopamine, to gas and electricity price rises.
Meanwhile, KMT lawmakers voted down a proposal from the opposition parties aimed at overriding plans announced by the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Thursday to raise electricity rates for all sectors by between 8 percent and 37 percent.
Citing Article 20 of the Administrative Act of State-owned Enterprises (國營事業管理法), PFP Legislator Thomas Lee (李桐豪) said the price-determining mechanism adopted by the ministry was in violation of established regulations.
The article stipulates that the rate charged by public utilities must be calculated in accordance with a formula prepared either by the state-owned enterprise or the relevant government department and that any changes to such formulas needed to be approved by the legislature.
“We demand that the government not go ahead with its promulgation of the new electricity prices on May 15. To implement the new rates as scheduled without the consent of the legislature, as announced by the ministry on Thursday, would be illegal,” Lee said.
Other legislators expressed discontent with the turn of events.
The proposal was made out of concern that the electricity price rise of more than 15 percent along with the fuel price increase announced earlier this month could trigger inflation, Pan said.
While Ma said during his visit to three diplomatic allies in Africa that the price paid by households that consume less than 120 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month would not increase, that comment “was a bad joke,” DPP Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) said.
Ma did not know what he was talking about, because the average monthly consumption of a refrigerator is about 75 kilowatt-hours and almost no households consume less than 120 kilowatt-hours a month, Chen said, adding that all households would have to pay at least an additional NT$105 each month after the pricing adjustment.
DPP Legislator Tsai Chih-chang (蔡其昌) said the party’s position remained that state-run companies such as Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) should review their operational efficiency and cost structure before raising service prices.
The TSU holds a similar position and party whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a separate press conference that the party did not rule out boycotting Taipower’s budgetary review if the company failed to improve its operational efficiency.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ decision on Monday was like “pouring gasoline on a fire” because prices were already going to be increased for the four-month summer period starting on June 1, Hsu said.
The TSU said it opposed Taipower’s distribution of lucrative bonuses to it employees and its poor management performance.
“Private independent power producers are able to generate profits with better management. Why can’t Taipower do the same?” TSU Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) asked.
In related news, Premier Sean Chen misspoke in answering questions from lawmakers during a question-and-answer session when he said there would not be a second hike in electricity prices from June 1 to the end of September.
Chen clarified his remarks later.
In a statement last night, the Executive Yuan confirmed after the increased electricity prices are introduced next month, prices would rise again over the summer in accordance with standard annual practice — a 12 percent surcharge over the non-summer electricity rate.
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