Last Tuesday, while Vice President-elect Annette Lu (
The tense atmosphere, in light of the second-in-command's complaints, added fuel to rumors of a growing rift between herself and Chen over the distribution of power in the new order.
Then, as Chen concluded the address he had come to deliver and tension caused by Lu's remarks had died down somewhat, KMT legislator Liao Hwu-peng (
"Congratulations!" he said to Chen and Lu, shaking their hands, before turning around and leaving just as suddenly.
The incident, which drew giggles from a roomful of surrounding reporters, provided much-needed comic relief, effectively diffusing what had been until then an awkward and uncomfortable moment.
While some observers may have found Liao's interruption out of place, insiders interpreted the clown-like move as part of a deliberate publicity stunt amid a power shuffle in the legislature following the KMT's presidential election loss.
"He's just trying to gain as much as he can while the current legislature remains in chaos," said a KMT legislator who preferred to remain anonymous.
LIAO THE FREE AGENT
The "chaos" the lawmaker alluded to can be seen in moves by various party caucuses to look for alliances or any kind of cooperation with their counterparts following the presidential election -- especially following the establishment of failed candidate James Soong's (宋楚瑜) People First Party (PFP).
Although some KMT legislators said their party -- which still holds a nominal majority -- can continue to influence the lawmaking process and thus check the executive branch and the DPP president, critics said public posturing by the party will be of little use unless KMT legislators are themselves united.
But unity is precisely what is evading the KMT legislative caucus.
Liao himself has been busy talking up the probability of joining the PFP because, in his words, "the prospects for KMT reform appear slim." Liao told the Taipei Times that if he crossed the floor, ten other KMT legislators could well follow suit.
Liao also debunked the functional majority -- 116 seats out of the total 225 -- as "a false majority ... an unsubstantiated majority" that could easily evaporate.
When serving as the KMT's party whip in the Legislature five years ago, Liao, together with some other KMT legislators, were often dubbed by observers as "experts" on how to maximize personal gains at the KMT's expense by threatening to take its votes elsewhere.
At that time, the KMT outnumbered opposition parties by a margin of only some half a dozen seats, so that the loss of any KMT votes risked the KMT's power in the legislative chamber.
Five years later, Liao appears to be making use of the same threat.
WHO WANTS LIAO?
Liao's posturing, however, has received a mixed response from both the KMT and the PFP.
Lin Jung-rong (
"These KMT lawmakers should think thoroughly about what they are doing before joining the other side," Lin said.
Sources have said that at an internal KMT meeting last week, acting chairman Lien Chan (
But PFP lawmakers themselves are divided over how to handle Liao. Chiu Chuang-liang (邱創良), the PFP's legislative caucus convener, said the time is right for Liao to join the PFP, adding Liao would join the party sometime before Chen's inauguration on May 20.
But another PFP legislator, who refused to be named, said he could not welcome Liao into the PFP's legislative caucus if he were accepted into the party.
"Give me a break -- I would never allow him to tarnish our image. He is a dirty person. We're trying to set a precedent for change, okay?" he said.
The PFP legislator also showed the Taipei Times a party document stating entry into the PFP legislative caucus requires the consent of at least half of the existing caucus members.
Nicknamed "red envelop Peng" (
But the former teacher from Yunlin county, bringing with him complex factional loyalties and interests, has often found himself embroiled in financial scandals and corruption throughout his political career.
A NEW BID FOR INFLUENCE
Liao is not the only lawmaker working overtime to consolidate power. KMT lawmaker Liu Ping-wei (劉炳偉), also a former speaker of the Taiwan provincial assembly, has been working behind the scenes to corral his own voting bloc.
Forced to lay low a year ago after a financial scandal involving his family's Hai Shan group (海山集團) was made public -- triggering a small scale run on a bank and jitters on the stock market -- Liu is now busy planning to re-enter the fray by setting up a legislative "think tank" which has so far won support from some 55 lawmakers.
"He wants to form an alliance as a way to begin afresh in the Legislative Yuan to exert his influence once again," Huang Shui-hwa (
Huang said "Liu's past experience" has enabled a majority of legislators contacted to reply with an immediate "yes" to an invitation to join the new sub-group, to be called the New Taiwan Policy Research Foundation (
Once established, the group would become the biggest inter-party body in the Legislature, and one that would include KMT, PFP and DPP members, Huang said.
Liu Wen-hsiung (
But another, unnamed PFP legislator said it resembled other, similar groups in the past, which all faded with time.
"Look at the Chin-Cheng Association (
"Some have agreed to join Liu's group simply because of old provincial assembly friendships. But we are not ready to be controlled like pieces in some board game," the lawmaker said.
Whether Liao and Liu can make a comeback in the legislature remains to be seen, but their scramble while the balance of power teeters in the Legislative Yuan points to a strong desire to position themselves on the highest ground possible when the dust finally settles.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting