In a move to increase its leverage over cross-strait policy, the Legislative Yuan yesterday confirmed a plan to set up a special task force in the legislature to deal with cross-strait relations.
The plan was passed with strong support from opposition lawmakers.
Declining to endorse the establishment of such a task force, DPP lawmakers staged a walkout to protest what they said was the legislature's "infringement on administrative powers."
The DPP lawmakers said they will not participate in the task force even though six seats are reserved for them.
"We think this is very inappropriate, because it is an infringement on administrative powers," said Perng Shaw-jiin (彭紹瑾), chief executive of the DPP caucus.
It was decided yesterday that the task force will be convened by the speaker himself and consist of representatives from all parties based on their representation in the legislature. The KMT will have 10 seats; the DPP, six; the People First Party (PFP), three; the New Party, two; the non-partisan alliance, two; and independents, one.
Under the lawmakers' plan, the task force will be empowered to convene in cross-strait emergencies and to invite the head of the National Security Council, the premier and ministers to provide briefings. It may also send delegations to visit China.
Opposition lawmakers argued that the task force enjoys a much higher level of legitimacy and a greater ability to accommodate the opinions of different political parties than the President's Advisory Group on Cross-Strait Relations, headed by Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
"In the future, the conclusions made by the task force will become an essential source of reference for the Mainland Affairs Council and the National Unification Council," said Diane Lee (李慶安), spokeswoman for the PFP caucus in the legislature.
Though there was an inter-party consensus on setting up the task force as early as June, discussion on its details was shelved for months owing to disapproval on the part of the DPP caucus.
The proposal to set up such a special task force in the legislature was first raised by the KMT caucus at practically the same time President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) moved to establish a non-institutional cross-party task force on cross-strait relations to serve as a think tank under the president.
Accusing Chen of trying to cripple the function of the National Unification Council (NUC) set up by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) -- also as a presidential-level think tank -- the KMT has refused to join Chen's so-called cross-party task force.
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