Eight legislators of different political stripes formed a special task force yesterday to push for early passage of a slew of "sunshine laws" that aim to rid Taiwan's politics of moneyed influence.
At the inaugural ceremony of the task force, members of the cross-party panel vowed to transcend partisan considerations.
KMT legislator Chen Shei-saint (
"All members also promise to serve as a conduit for the team's communications with their own legislative caucuses in discussing provisions of these `sunshine laws,'" Chen said.
The KMT legislator added that task-force members are committed to persuading their own legislative caucuses to allow their members to vote freely should showdown votes be held in the legislature.
"Even if we may be disciplined by our own parties, we are determined to give the priority to national interests instead of partisan interests," Chen stressed.
The seven other members of the team are Su Ying-kuei (蘇盈貴) of the TSU, Lee Yung-ping (李永萍) of the PFP, Lee Wen-chung (李文忠) and Julian Kuo (郭正亮) of the DPP and Huang Teh-fu (黃德福) of the KMT.
Chen said that the passage of "sunshine laws" is a nearly unanimous campaign promise of incumbent legislators from across the political spectrum.
"It is not only mainstream public opinion, but also a cross-party consensus. And now is the time to realize our campaign promise," he said.
Also at the inaugural ceremony, legislator Eugene Chao (
"To date, only a few relevant laws, including the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Law (
"As many other important bills are still pending legislative approval, the goal of establishing clean politics remains a distant dream," he said.
The new cross-party panel has arranged a priority list of bills, including measures to regulate political parties and contributions, government lobbying and information disclosure.
"We have set the target that at least one `sunshine bill' must be passed at each legislative session," Chao noted.
In addition, Chao said, the panel would continue pushing the government to draft detailed enforcement rules to facilitate the implementation of several "sunshine bills" that have already cleared the legislative floor.
As many "sunshine laws" are closely related to party interests, discussions on various provisions are likely to trigger standoffs between the ruling and opposition parties.
"All members have reached a consensus that the common interests of all citizens will take precedence over any partisan interests," Chao said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.