Independent lawmaker Sisy Chen (
Both lawmakers said a shared desire to prevent partisan rows from paralyzing the Legislative Yuan prompted them to side with the PFP caucus, which will now be able to win an extra seat in the Procedure Committee as a result of its increased size.
"Oftentimes, partisan feuding starts in the Procedure Committee that sets the legislature's agenda," Chen told reporters.
"Its 36 seats would be equally divided between the ruling and opposition camps if I didn't join either side," she said.
By aligning herself with the PFP, Chen said she can better push for policy initiatives she cares about and help enhance overall legislative efficiency.
One initiative she wants to push this legislative session is a proposal to deprive the Department of Health of the power to adjust national health insurance fees.
She said she will also keep a close eye on the Taiwan High Speed Railway project, which she thinks has been sponging off of the state coffers.
Chen insists she will remain an "independent."
"I will not take part in internal PFP activities nor assume any position in its 2004 presidential campaign," she said.
Echoing Chen's stance, Wu said he hoped his joining the PFP caucus can give the pan-blue camp an upper hand in the Procedure Committee and the legislature as a whole.
"Without affiliation to any legislative caucus, I acted like a guerrilla in the last two sessions," he said. "By working with the PFP, I hope to better serve my constituents on Kinmen."
The New Party lawmaker said he was also motivated by a desire to help bolster the joint effort by the KMT and the PFP to unseat President Chen Shui-bian (
The KMT and PFP now hold 112 seats in the 223-member legisl-ature, whose size has dropped by two seats following the death of PFP Legislator Hsieh Chun-hui (謝鈞惠) and the resignation of DPP Legislator Chou Po-lun (周伯倫), who recently began serving a prison sentence for corruption.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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