In what appears to be a move aimed at damage control after the National Assembly's vote to extend its term by two years until June 2002, DPP heavyweights declared yesterday that their party's deputies should abandon their statutory rights to salaries after their original term ends in May 2000.
Leaders from three major party factions reached a consensus during weekend talks, and say they will present the plan to the party's weekly Central Standing Committee on Wednesday.
The assembly passed an amendment by two major parties to extend terms of delegates and legislators as well as add the full proportional representative system for the next assembly, introduced by DPP assembly caucus leader Law I-teh (
After the vote, many DPP deputies have been bombarded with complaints from constituents, asking why the DPP supported the term extension amendment, and blaming the party for betraying the party's reform image.
"We have to prove that DPP assembly delegates only wanted to carry out assembly reform, and not because they wished to benefit themselves," said Wu Nai-jen (
Wu also stressed that the party should clarify its position to allow people to understand what DPP deputies would actually do during the extended term.
New Era faction head Chen Zau-nan (
The party's presidential candidate, meanwhile, Chen Shui-bian (
"If President Lee is really willing to drive constitutional reform, he can carry out the task. I suggest a plebiscite be held along with the presidential election next March 18," said Chen.
Chen's spokesman, Lo Wen-chia (
Members of the Justice alliance faction, established by Chen in 1993, also stressed they would join the action to save the party's reformist image.
"All Justice Alliance delegates will give people our resolute promise to accomplish the parliament reform. And even legislators of my Faction, at least me and Sheng Fu-hsiung (
Members of the DPP's legislative caucus, meanwhile, said yesterday they planned to follow the advice of its current head, Chang Chun-hung (
Chang advocates that the Central Standing Committee should only encourage Assembly deputies to abandon their salary rights, but not to force them to accept it.
"They really contributed to the reform process. Therefore the party should reward them instead of punishing them," Chang said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
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