There was a rare sentimental atmosphere in the Legislative Yuan yesterday as the fourth legislative session came to a close.
Of 218 lawmakers, 97 will not be present for the swearing in ceremony of the fifth Legislative Yuan on Feb. 1, either because they did not seek re-election or because they were defeated in the Dec. 1 elections.
The departing lawmakers got the chance to deliver their farewell addresses to their colleagues after the legislature ended its session by passing the fiscal 2002 budget.
Some sang songs to say goodbye, others were brought to tears. And others vowed to return.
Three-term KMT legislator Chen Ching-pao (
"Over the past nine years, I was always racing against time whenever I took the floor. But I wasted a lot of time today," Chen said.
In sentences interrupted by pauses, Chen said he felt very peaceful in his mind despite failing to be re-elected, as he had worked very hard during the past nine years.
Hsiao Chin-lan (
Hsiao, who was indicted by prosecutors on charges of vote-buying three days before the Dec. 1 legislative polls, was found innocent a few days ago. The allegation was blamed for her defeat in the election.
"Many friends were indignant at this injustice. But time proved everything," Hsiao said.
Chao Erh-chung (曹爾忠), another three-term KMT legislator, from Matsu, said his heart was full of gratitude for having had the chance to sit in the legislature.
Chao said his feeling could be most properly articulated by one of his favorite hits, Exhausting the love of my lifetime.
"I have loved. I have laughed. I have hurt. And I have cried before. What else do I ask for in this life?" Chao sang, followed by enthusiastic applause from his colleagues.
But some departing legislators said the legislature hadn't heard the last of them.
Four-term legislator Wang Tein-ging (
Three-term KMT legislator Liu Shen-liang (劉盛良) from Taipei County also indicated his plan to run for a seat again, while expressing his appreciation to his family for their support over the past 30 years of his political career.
"See you. I'll be back," Liu said in a tone full of confidence.
Meanwhile, some legislators likened their departure to graduation from schools.
Three-term New Party legislator Hsieh Chi-ta (
Independent legislator Huang Ming-ho (黃明和) from Changhua County said he was a "primary school graduate" when he last left the legislature in 1993 after serving six years as a lawmaker, but that now he is a "junior high school graduate."
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
The National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology yesterday showcased its locally developed variants of the Vision 60 robotic patrol dog, which it plans to deploy on the nation’s outlying territories in the South China Sea. The variants were produced under the Joint Lab project — created by the institute and domestic companies — and assembled with domestically produced motors, lenses and artificial intelligence (AI) systems alongside licensed tech from the US, Missile and Rocket Systems Research Division deputy director Jen Kuo-kang (任國光) told the media event at a military base in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area. Taiwan has built up its strengths
RIGHT DIRECTION: Taiwan’s efforts to prevent forced labor include a proposal to ‘fully prohibit’ employers from withholding workers’ documents, an official said Taiwan is to establish a mechanism to restrict imports of goods linked to forced labor, the Executive Yuan said yesterday, after the US proposed imposing additional tariffs on Taiwanese goods over labor concerns. “The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are to establish an interministerial review procedure,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “The government is to use the Foreign Trade Act [貿易法] as the legal basis to restrict imports of goods produced with forced labor” and bring its supply chain governance more in line with international standards on human rights, resilience
NOT IMMEDIATE: Taiwan has a chance to appeal the proposed 10 percent tariff before it starts, while other countries face a 12.5 percent tariff from the trade office Taiwan is among 60 economies determined by the US to have failed to impose or enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor, according to a notice released on Tuesday by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which proposed imposing an additional 10 percent or more tariff on them. The USTR in a statement said that following an investigation, it had determined under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 that the failure of the 60 economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is
RSS