The TSU is poised to expand its legislative power if three KMT legislators -- who might be expelled from the KMT for voting in defiance of party orders during last week's confirmation vote -- decide to defect.
TSU lawmakers confirmed yesterday that they are negotiating with at least three KMT lawmakers, who could very likely be dismissed from the party because they ignored party directives by entering the legislative chamber to cast their votes last Thursday and Friday.
"We will approach whoever shares our political ideology because it will fulfill people's expectations if the political scene is stabilized [through the expansion of the `pan-green' camp]," said Lo Chih-ming (羅志明), a leader of the TSU's legislative caucus.
To achieve that, the KMT is not the only TSU target.
Besides KMT lawmakers Chen Ken-te (陳根德), Lin Pin-kuan (林炳坤) and Lu Shin-ming (呂新民), Lo said that the party was also in touch with independent lawmakers Kao Meng-ting (高孟定) and Hung Chao-nan (洪昭男).
Lo said Chen and Lu are long-term friends of some TSU lawmakers and Hong is known for having a close relationship with TSU chairman Huang Chu-wen (黃主文).
The TSU lawmaker said all three have expressed a willingness to join the TSU's legislative caucus if they were expelled by the KMT, but they would wait until today when the KMT announces its decision.
In a bid to reject eight high-level governmental officials appointed by the president, the KMT barred its legislators from entering the legislative chamber to boycott the vote.
The KMT said that entering the legislative chamber itself was tantamount to breaking party regulations regardless of whether the voters cast a "yes" or "no" ballot.
Ten KMT legislators run the risk of being dismissed by the party because they insisted on voting.
Yao Chia-wen (
Once ridiculed for lacking grit in dealing with members challenging the party's principle, the KMT has decided to demonstrate its resolve to reform this time by resorting to stricter punishment. It is widely believed that at least five out of the 10 will be expelled from the party.
None of the KMT lawmakers named by the TSU acknowledged that they had been in touch with the TSU about possible defection.
But Chen Ken-te told the Taipei Times that he would join any party "who makes the people's interests its top priority."
He said he isn't afraid of facing punishment because his party has gone against the public will, but he added that he thinks he did nothing wrong by exercising his right to vote for qualified candidates.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS