The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus could explore launching efforts to impeach President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee tomorrow and will explain its decision today, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said yesterday.
Ker said the DPP Central Committee had already established a special panel to discuss impeaching Ma, with DPP Central Standing Committee member Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) as convener.
The panel had already discussed the possibility of impeaching Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, Ker said.
The DPP caucus on Friday discussed whether to target Ma and call for his impeachment, but the meeting saw both opposition to and support for the idea, Ker said.
Supporters of impeachment said that despite the legal difficulties involved in the motion, the party should give voice to public -discontent, Ker said, adding that impeachment, whose supporters mostly draw from factions identifying who follow Hsieh and former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), would “leave a mark.”
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋), who supports the move, said elections and impeachment were opposite sides of a coin, adding that since the public elected Ma as president, they also have the right to impeach him.
Although the act of impeaching a president is still under a one-year limitation, public discontent toward the Ma administration is already showing, Lee said, adding that “the DPP caucus should appropriately reflect the will of the people and state their will.”
The restriction refers to limitations outlined in Article 70 of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法).
However, other DPP members hold a more conservative outlook, with some legislators saying that raising the impeachment case at this time would only serve to unify the KMT and silence those within the KMT who are dissatisfied with Ma’s performance.
“It would be helping the KMT to divert the focus of the people from the ineptitude of the Ma --administration and let them pose a united front,” the opposing DPP legislators said, adding that the motion would also leave the public with the impression that the DPP “is a source of turmoil.”
Impeachment is a counterbalance and the DPP caucus is considering the viability of such a motion as well as keeping an eye on the general mood within society, Ker said.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS