The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday rejected an invitation by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to jointly hold a national affairs conference on constitutional reform with other political parties and civic groups, DPP spokesperson Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said.
DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) proposed to KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) that all the major political parties and civic groups co-host a national affairs conference to seek consensus on constitutional reform, Cheng said.
Wu was told that the KMT favored the issue being discussed by the legislature’s Constitutional Amendment Committee instead of at a national affairs conference, Cheng said.
The DPP will continue to communicate with the KMT about the idea, which is supported by the Taiwan Solidarity Union, the People First Party and civic groups, he said.
“Since issues related to reform to the legislative electoral system are among those put up for discussion regarding constitutional reform, what could be expected from an amendment drafted by the legislature alone?” Cheng said.
KMT spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that the party does not oppose a national affairs conference, but said that such a conference should be presided over by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), as previous conferences were by former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) when they were in office, and that issues such as cross-strait relations and housing justice should also be on the agenda.
Wu and Lee met for an hour at KMT headquarters in Taipei.
The KMT had expected to discuss constitutional reform with the DPP at the Lee-Wu meeting, but the talks between Lee and Wu did not go beyond the proposed national affairs conference, Lin said.
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