Caucuses' reactions to downsizing plan mixed

President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) plan to downsize the legislature drew mixed reactions from the major political parties yesterday, with the ruling DPP intent on drawing its own measures and the opposition alliance calling for caution.

On Sunday, a government reform committee headed by Chen proposed cutting the number of legislators from 225 to 150 and extending their terms from three to four years.

Although it supports the need for downsizing, the DPP caucus has been drafting its own plan, due for publication later this month.

"The Presidential Office can remark on the issue, but the caucus is free to decide which bill it will endorse," DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) said.

Fellow lawmaker Yu Ching (尤清) upheld the view and added that the caucus would convene another meeting today in the hope of bridging the gap between its stance and that of the Presidential Office. Earlier, the caucus said it favored a 145-seat legislature.

Any cut in the number of legislative seats requires constitutional amendments.

In plugging his reform plan, Chen also suggested revising the election rules so that each constituency elects only one lawmaker while voters cast two ballots -- one for their candidate and the other for a political party.

Currently, a district can elect as many as 10 seats and voters get to cast only one ballot. Analysts say the existing system encourages extremism because candidates can win by appealing to only a tiny minority of constituents.

The KMT, while receptive to legislative reform, expressed reservations over any amendments to the Constitution, fearing that the attempt could foster partisan feuding.

KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said he found it more practical to revise the electoral rules -- and postpone the downsizing plan -- before the parties agree on an ideal size.

A three-fourths approval is necessary for the lawmaking body to put constitutional reform bills before the National Assembly for final adoption.

The DPP holds 87 seats in the 225-member legislature, where no party has an outright majority. The KMT has 67 seats, while the PFP has 45 seats. The fledgling TSU, a political ally of the DPP, holds 13 seats.

Lin advised the government to give top priority to the revitalizing of the economy, noting that legislative reform can contribute little toward that goal and that the size of the legislature is necessarily linked to its efficiency.

In 1998, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) expanded the legislature from 164 seats to its present size to accommodate then deputies of the former Taiwan Provincial Assembly. The assembly was dissolved in line with the downsizing of the provincial government.

Some critics questioned the president's heavy involvement in such reform. The PFP's Diane Lee (李慶安) said it was improper for Chen to launch the effort because it violated the spirit of checks and balances.

Lee said that her party would favor a legislature of 165 members and the reinstatement of its power to confirm the appointment of the premier.