Pan-blue camp shuts down talks

With the debate raging between the pan-blue and pan-green camps over the draft referendum law, the KMT and PFP decided to shut down any cross-party negotiations with the DPP and TSU yesterday.

The blue-camp parties plan to present TSU lawmaker Chen Chien-ming (陳建銘), who chaired the Home and Nation Committee on Monday and Wednesday, to the legislature's Discipline Committee for punishment over what they said was his inappropriate handling of meeting procedures.

The parties' decision will postpone the passage of other bills, such as the Cabinet's NT$70 billion job-creation program, in the legislature.

The Home and Nation Committee started to review DPP Legislator Trong Chai's (蔡同榮) draft referendum law on Monday. The pan-blue camp, which says the bill will upset China, exploited a procedural technicality on Monday to request that the meeting be adjourned.

Chen, as chairman of the committee meeting, refused to acknowledge the pan-blue legislators' suggestion to end the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30pm on Wednesday.

According to the rules for such meetings, the meeting chairman is required to handle any request to end the meeting right after legislators submit their request.

Angered with Chen's performance, the KMT and PFP held a joint press conference yesterday morning.

KMT legislative leader Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) said that the performance by Chen and DPP legislators was ridiculous.

"Chen's performance ... was a terrible example. I have never experienced anybody holding a meeting in such a fashion since I came to the Legislative Yuan in 1992," Liu said in the press conference.

"We decided to halt any cross-party negotiation for bills in the legislature until the DPP provides a reasonable explanation," Liu said.

At Wednesday night's meeting, seven DPP legislators voted for presenting the draft proposal for further discussion, which upset the two blue-camp parties.

PFP legislative whip Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) said his party would also boycott cross-party negotiations.

DPP legislative caucus leader Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) criticized the blue-camp for halting negotiations.

Chen said the move was designed to skirt review of the bill on political party assets, which was scheduled for yesterday afternoon. The bill is widely seen as a threat to the KMT.

Chen said other bills such as the Cabinet's budget still need review .

"They had successfully boycotted the draft proposal's review. I don't understand why they want to halt the negotiation," Chen said.