Announcing they would defer plans to push for a fresh election of the legislative speaker of the yesterday, members of the DPP legislative caucus said they would wait for the "proper time" to make the move.
At the same time, the group appointed veteran lawmaker Shih Ming-teh (
DPP faction leaders, however, appeared to have mixed interpretations on the caucus' resolution. While some said the decision ruled out the possibility of pushing for the bid before the new government is installed on May 20, others described the resolution as "a graceful way" to reduce tension between Shih and the DPP.
Continuing dissonance within the party over a possible bid to push for a fresh election of the legislative speaker appeared to come to a head after a two-hour DPP legislative caucus meeting yesterday afternoon.
Describing the atmosphere in the meeting as "argumentative," DPP legislative caucus convener Cheng Pao-ching (
"We consider it pivotal to push for legislative reforms, for which a fresh election of the speaker is indispensable. So the DPP legislative caucus would seek the proper timing to push for reform," Cheng said.
The caucus would set up a legislative reform task force to accelerate related reforms, while appointing former DPP chairman and Shih to lead the task force, he said.
When asked what the "proper time" meant, Cheng portrayed three scenarios: When the incumbent KMT speaker was found unable to maintain neutrality in hosting legislative sessions, intentionally blocked policies put forward by the new government led by the DPP, or was found incompetent to enhance legislative efficiency, he said.
The consensus reached among DPP lawmakers, though not stated directly, was not to push for a fresh election of the legislative speaker before President-elect Chen Shui-bian (
Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), secretary-general of the Justice Alliance faction, said although the faction considered Shih as the DPP's primary candidate for the new speakership, to push for the bid before May 20 is improper as it might trigger political instability.
Shih, an active proponent to form a cross-party coalition after the March 18 presidential election and to further promote a fresh election of speaker to enhance the DPP's influence in the legislative body, said he was willing to accept the offer.
"This is a satisfying decision to me," Shih said in a press conference held later yesterday afternoon.
Some insiders, however, said the decision was to allow Shih, who had threatened to withdraw from the DPP after his efforts to push for the coalition and the election were opposed by some DPP lawmakers, a face-saving way to back out of an embarrassing situation.
When asked if the caucus resolution was to relax tensions between Shih and the DPP, New Tide leader Hung Chi-chang's (
But Hung said the decision was also a way to pressure Wang Chin-pyng (
"This is to force Wang to watch his back (後顧之憂). As legislative speaker, Wang is thus reminded that he has to act in a neutral way [when hosting legislative sessions] -- not to convey major policies for the KMT intentionally," Hung added.
Meanwhile, KMT legislative leaders said it's a pity that the DPP intended to change the status quo in the legislature after May 20.
Tseng Yung-chuan (
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