The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to again propose a vote of no confidence against the “malfunctioning” Cabinet in the legislative session that begins tomorrow.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has endorsed the proposal and is to attend the caucus meeting this morning for discussion with the 40-member strong caucus about the party’s position and strategy.
The DPP proposed a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet led by Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) in the three-day extra legislative session in late July, but the motion was rejected by Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平).
“The Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration has been clueless about how to revive the stagnant economy and improve people’s livelihoods. We seriously recommend that Ma reshuffle the Cabinet,” Su said on a visit to Pingtung County.
Su compared performance of the Cabinet to a “computer crash” and said it was time to “reboot.”
The chairman is expected to meet the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers, who control 64 of the 113 seats in the legislature, in a caucus meeting today and ask them to “make the right decision for the country.”
The Act Governing the Exercise of the Rights of the Legislative Yuan (立法院職權行使法) stipulates that the legislature may propose a no-confidence vote against the premier after collecting the signatures of more than one-third of the total number of legislators. The motion requires at least half the lawmakers to vote in its favor to pass.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said the proposal was legitimate, as the country has ground to a halt and the DPP “does not object for the sake of objection.”
“The ball is now in the KMT’s court,” said Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), chief secretary of the DPP’s caucus.
The DPP said it would focus on the amendments of the Political Party Act (政黨法), the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Public Debt Act (公共債務法) and the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法), among others.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) is likely to make its first pitch on the scheduled second stage of the electricity price increase once the session begins by demanding a price freeze.
The party would boycott the premier’s scheduled report to the legislature — by occupying the podium if necessary — if the government failed to meet the demand, TSU caucus whip Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) said.
It would then concentrate on monitoring the administration’s China policy and demand the KMT return all its “ill-gotten assets” in the new session, she added.
The TSU, with only three lawmakers in the legislature, would also be aiming at a long-term goal of recalling Ma after a resolution was reached at the party national congress on Saturday.
TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) said the TSU planned to establish petition stations across the country to collect signatures in a bid to recall Ma after the president finishes the first year of his four-year second term in May next year.
The Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法) stipulates that a president or vice president who has not served for one year may not be recalled.
KMT lawmakers blocked the opposition’s proposal to recall Ma in May — five days before the end of Ma’s first term.
KMT caucus whip Lin Hong-chih (林鴻池) said it respected the opposition party’s rights to propose a no-confidence motion and urged the Cabinet to present efficient measures to improve the economy.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS