The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) opposition of its anti-infiltration bill, saying that the pan-blue camp’s stance on the issue runs against the international community’s mainstream consensus.
It has been well-established in Taiwan, as well as in the international community, that there is a need to protect democracy from infiltration by authoritarian powers, DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) told a news conference in Taipei.
However, the KMT has been opposing the DPP’s efforts to counter Chinese infiltration, he said.
Photo: CNA
While the DPP and the New Power Party have proposed three versions of anti-infiltration legislation since May, the KMT has not contributed any, Lin said.
If the KMT considers it important to fight infiltration, it should submit its own version, he said.
Retired lieutenant general Wu Sz-huai (吳斯懷), who is on the KMT’s list of legislator-at-large nominees, would have access to confidential national security information if the KMT garners more than 1.5 million votes in the Jan. 11 legislative election, he added.
Wu sparked controversy in 2016, when he attended a speech in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and stood for a rendition of the Chinese national anthem.
The legislation would provide important protection for Taiwan’s democracy and would require support from all legislators across party lines, Lin said.
At planned cross-caucus negotiations, the DPP is to drop its proposal for the Legislative Yuan to enter a recess from Dec. 18, because a break could postpone reviews of the legislation if the KMT votes against it in today’s legislative session, DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.
The DPP plans to propose at today’s session a second reading of its version of the legislation without going through committee review, she said.
Earlier yesterday, the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee held a public hearing on the legislation.
National Policy Foundation adviser Charles Chen (陳以信), who is also on the KMT’s list of legislator-at-large nominees, said at the hearing that the DPP was attempting to force through its version of the bill.
As the Executive Yuan would be responsible for implementing the legislation if it becomes law, it should offer its opinion on the bill or submit its own version, he said.
KMT Central Policy Committee deputy director Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said that the DPP’s version of the bill might infringe upon human rights and freedom of the press.
It is inappropriate for the ruling party to propose such a controversial law shortly before it could be voted out of power, he said.
Expedited passage of legislation does not mean the process was reckless, Chien Hsin University of Science and Technology Department of Business Administration professor Yen Chien-fa (顏建發) said, adding: “It is the content that matters.”
The bills address an urgent need to resist China’s interference in Taiwan’s elections, he said.
While they might not be perfect, it is important that the government have legislation in place to make people feel safe, he added.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique