Legislator Apollo Chen (
The proposal will be submitted if the numbers of the pan-blue alliance and the pan-green camp legislators that have endorsed the motion are equal, Chen said during a meeting with reporters.
Chen said that the motion had been endorsed by more than 30 lawmakers from across the political spectrum, including two of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He added that DPP Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (
He also expressed discontent at legislative caucus whips of the ruling and opposition parties for having prohibited their party lawmakers from endorsing the proposal, claiming that it is unreasonable for them to do so as they also understand that relevant matching measures are indispensable for the implementation of legislative reforms.
Chen said that he will seek to drum up support from Shen and other legislators of the pan-green camp that refers to the DPP and its ally -- the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU). Only when the pan-blue alliance and the pan-green camp lawmakers signing the motion are equal in numbers, will he not be branded as an "anti-reformist" while submitting the proposal, Chen said.
Hours after various political factions in the Legislative Yuan agreed to amend the Republic of China Constitution before the March 20 presidential election to reduce by half the number of legislators, several opposition lawmakers said that they support legislative reforms but worry that if it is done in haste, more problems will be created than are solved.
The Legislative Yuan's Committee of Constitutional Amendment passed the first reading of three draft constitutional revision bills on legislative reforms last week, under which the current 225 seats in the legislature will be cut to 113 starting from 2008, the current electoral system will be changed to a "single seat, two votes" system -- meaning one vote for an individual candidate and another vote for a political party in each constituency -- and legislators' terms will be extended to four years from the current three years.
The legislature is scheduled to deal with the three draft bills during a plenary session today in response to the public's repeated calls for upgrading the legislature's efficiency and quality.
According to deliberative rules of the Legislative Yuan, when any legislative caucus or legislator comes up with a motion against a draft bill that will be put to a second reading, the draft bill will be referred directly to joint negotiations and will be submitted to a plenary session for handling if no results are obtained within four months.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost