Premier highlights cross-party support

In an effort to improve the interaction between the administrative and legislative branches of the government, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday pledged to strengthen communication with lawmakers to win cross-party support for the Cabinet's policies.

"Very often, the political culture in the legislature has been built upon confrontation and antagonism. We hope very much to replace confrontation with cooperation," Chang said.

Chang made the remark while paying a courtesy call to Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). It was Chang's first official visit to the legislature since he was sworn in Friday.

The talks focused on Executive Yuan-Legislative Yuan relations, which have remained in a state of tension since the DPP came into power.

Wang said the DPP-led administration, while claiming to be "for all the people," should avoid policies based on the DPP's preferences alone.

"[A trick to push for] policies based on the preferences of a single party will soon be exposed by opposition parties and will be obstructed by them," Wang said.

Wang proposed that the Executive Yuan communicate with opposition lawmakers before a policy was decided upon.

"The opinions of different political parties should be respected. A policy made through a collective decision will naturally win majority support in the legislature," Wang said.

The DPP holds around 30 percent of the legislative seats. The KMT, though losing the presidency to the DPP in March, remains the majority party in the legislature.

Over the past months, policies put forth by the Executive Yuan to make good on the DPP's campaign promises, notably the elderly stipend program, had been blocked by opposition lawmakers.

Responding to Wang's proposal, Chang promised that the Executive Yuan's policy-making process would be transparent and open.

"We hope to create a sound model of Executive Yuan-Legislative Yuan interaction that can go beyond the current predicament," Chang said.

Chang said it was unlikely that any policy could be based on partisan preferences under the present political structure.

"As the present ruling party is a minority in the legislature, there will be a lot of opportunities for open policy debates in the legislature," Chang said.

Chang, a former legislator, had been appointed to take over from Tang Fei (唐飛), who stepped down amid strong backlash within the DPP against his stance supporting the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (核四廠) project.

Chang reiterated yesterday that the Executive Yuan had not set a timetable for a final decision on whether to continue the project.

The controversial project was proposed by the KMT as a solution to the nation's power shortage. The DPP, which has an anti-nuclear platform, has sought to have the plan scrapped. In line with the DPP's position, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has proposed discontinuing the project.