The political struggle stirred up by the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant dispute is unlikely to end with the issuance of a constitutional interpretation, analysts predicted yesterday.
New Party Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
"If the interpretation is so vague that all sides can claim victory, I will feel sorry for the nation," Lai said.
The Council of Grand Justices is set to issue its interpretation of the dispute tomorrow.
A preliminary ruling made by the majority of Grand Justices on Friday stated that the Executive Yuan's decision to scrap the project was a major constitutional issue, and the Executive Yuan should have obtained the Legislative Yuan's approval before making the policy change.
While political instability will continue until the legislative election at the end of this year, it will not end unless President Chen Shui-bian (
It is widely believed that none of the political parties will seize over 50 percent of legislative seats at the next election.
"A Cabinet that isn't supported by over 50 percent of lawmakers is bound to be unstable," Lai said.
With speculation that the issuance of a constitutional interpretation may lead to the replacement of Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) and a government reshuffle, Chen spelled out his support for Chang's Cabinet on Friday. Chen said he has not considered forming a coalition government. Chang has not indicated he will step down.
Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬), a former DPP Control Yuan member, criticized Chen and Chang for being irresponsible. He said even if the Grand Justices' interpretation does not specify the Executive Yuan's decision was unconstitutional, Chang should step down to mollify the opposition.
Yeh said the incident was an opportunity to examine Taiwan's constitutional system -- whether it is a presidential or semi-presidential system.
Yeh also said if it is a presidential system, Chen should step down to take the responsibility for the improper way the decision to scrap the plant was made. If it is a semi-presidential system, then the premier should step down. "The attitudes of the president and the premier show that they don't intend to take any responsibility, and are treating the Constitution like a toy," Yeh said.
The opposition-controlled legislature has made Chang a persona non grata and refused to let him attend Legislative Yuan sittings since Chang announced the government's decision to scrap the power plant project on Oct. 27. The legislature has also requested the Control Yuan impeach Chang over what it claims was an unconstitutional decision.
Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
CABINET APPROVAL: People seeking assisted reproduction must be assessed to determine whether they would be adequate parents, the planned changes say Proposed amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) advanced yesterday by the Executive Yuan would grant married lesbian couples and single women access to legal assisted reproductive services. The proposed revisions are “based on the fundamental principle of respecting women’s reproductive autonomy,” Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), who presided over a Cabinet meeting earlier yesterday, as saying at the briefing. The draft amendment would be submitted to the legislature for review. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, which proposed the amendments, said that experts on children’s rights, gender equality, law and medicine attended cross-disciplinary meetings, adding that
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