Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday asked voters to support the DPP's call for amending the Constitution, saying the government can launch a new phrase of constitutional reform if the DPP becomes the largest party after year-end elections.
"Taiwan's current Constitution came into effect in 1947," said Lu, explaining that it was designed to encompass all of China, and has become too unwieldy for Taiwan's modern political reality. "It is one of the major reasons why the DPP government has been unable to do its best since it assumed power last May," she said
Lu yesterday campaigned for DPP legislative candidates Lai Chin-lin (賴勁麟), Chen Chao-lung (陳朝龍) and Wang Shu-hui (王淑慧), who are all former members of the National Assembly.
Lu stressed that voters can count on the three candidates to reform the Legislative Yuan because they all subscribe to the party's platform which advocates the abolishment of the National Assembly.
"To implement the ideal of a unicameral system," Lu said, "they joined the movement years ago and had given up their rights as assembly members. So, compared with other political parties, only the DPP candidates can really strive for the promise to downsize the Legislative Yuan and accomplish other constitutional reform."
At a DPP campaign rally last night in Chiayi County, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) again targeted two opposition leaders, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), saying that even though it has been over 500 days since the transfer of power, the two still refuse to accept the fact that they lost the presidential election.
"One of those two people who lost in the presidential election never undertook any self-examination but only put the blame on his predecessor Lee Teng-hui (
Chen also accused Soong of "fighting for Taiwan's people only with words while using actions when it comes to fighting for his own self-interest."
"He is still telling people that he did not lose the election," Chen said.
"It obviously shows that this person still refuses to recognize Chen Shui-bian as president."
Responding to the KMT's prediction of a landslide victory in the December elections, the DPP yesterday taunted its rival.
"The KMT said that it is now `far' ahead of other parties," DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said. "I think what the party meant was that it is ahead only in those `far away' areas such as Matzu Island."
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
POWER PLANT POLL: The TPP said the number of ‘yes’ votes showed that the energy policy should be corrected, and the KMT said the result was a win for the people’s voice The government does not rule out advanced nuclear energy generation if it meets the government’s three prerequisites, President William Lai (賴清德) said last night after the number of votes in favor of restarting a nuclear power plant outnumbered the “no” votes in a referendum yesterday. The referendum failed to pass, despite getting more “yes” votes, as the Referendum Act (公民投票法) states that the vote would only pass if the votes in favor account for more than one-fourth of the total number of eligible voters and outnumber the opposing votes. Yesterday’s referendum question was: “Do you agree that the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant
ENHANCED SECURITY: A Japanese report said that the MOU is about the sharing of information on foreign nationals entering Japan from Taiwan in the event of an emergency The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday confirmed that Taiwan and Japan had signed an agreement to promote information exchanges and cooperation on border management, although it did not disclose more details on the pact. Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said the ministry is happy to see that the two nations continue to enhance cooperation on immigration control, in particular because Taiwan and Japan “share a deep friendship and frequent people-to-people exchanges.” “Last year, more than 7.32 million visits were made between the two countries, making it even more crucial for both sides to work closer on immigration and border control,” he said. Hsiao
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