DPP to make Legislative Yuan reform its priority

To make good on one of its campaign promises, the DPP yesterday announced that it will make a proposal to reduce the size of the Legislative Yuan a top priority in the new legislative session.

Following the formation of a Committee for Constitutional Amendments, the DPP will seek cross-party endorsement and public support through a signature drive after it presents the reform proposal, party officials said after their Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday.

The proposal, however, was seen by some observers as a bid to sow discord in the KMT-PFP alliance for next year's legislative election -- since the two parties would be competing against each other for a smaller number of seats.

During the 2001 legislative election campaign, the DPP proposed reforming the legislature in a bid to fortify party politics and facilitate parliamentary operations.

It suggested reducing the number of legislative seats -- although it didn't specify a number, extending lawmakers' terms from three years to four years and changing the electoral method to a single-member district, two-vote system.

The reform proposal won widespread approval from the public and the KMT, PFP and TSU all threw their support behind it during the campaign. The PFP even proposed slashing the number of seats to just 100.

Last May the DPP came up with a proposal to cut the number of seats by 75, reducing the number of lawmakers from 225 to 150.

However, there has been no further action on the proposed amendment -- a situation the DPP blames on the opposition.

DPP officials said KMT and PFP lawmakers have never presented any concrete measures on legislative reform and have even obstructed the establishment of the constitutional amendment committee in the legislature, hindering the review process.

The delay has lead the public to begin to doubt the legislators' determination to reform the legislature, according to the DPP.

DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水), who is also the director of the party's policy-making committee, said it would take at least one-and-a-half years to complete the reform.

Lin said the task could not be achieved by the time this legislative term ends at the end of next year, if a revision to the Constitution is not passed by May.

He stressed that the DPP does not mean to challenge the opposition parties by making such a proposal. Instead, he said, the party hopes the KMT and PFP will join the initiative so the project can be completed in a timely manner.

The KMT legislative caucus was quick to endorse the DPP's proposal yesterday.

KMT Legislator Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) urged the DPP to show its sincerity by entering into partisan negotiations on the issue as soon as possible.