CEC chairman loses his temper at Legislative Yuan

Central Election Commission Chairman George Huang, right, and KMT Legislator Chu Feng-chi have a quarrel yesterday morning. PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Huang Shih-cheng (黃石城) yesterday had a disagreement with a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator at the Legislative Yuan and lost his temper while reporting on presidential election day operations at the Home and Nations Committee.

During the committee inquiry, KMT Legislator Chu Fong-chi (朱鳳芝) said that Huang should step down from his position at the CEC due to the many mistakes made by election workers.

Huang first made a report on all the mistakes found and recorded by election workers before the inquiry was held.

While Chu was asking questions, she demanded in a harsh tone that Huang should quit his job.

"Since there have been so many mistakes, how can you still be so thick-skinned to claim that the CEC is fair?" Chu said.

She used abusive language to initiate a personal attack against Huang, implying that Huang was senile.

Offended by Chu's language, Huang, a long-time government official who has always been known for his smiles and even temper, finally snapped and said the decision to quit lies with him.

"I can decide whether to quit at any moment," Huang said.

In reaction to Chu referring to him as an "old man," Huang replied that he ran 5km a day, which might be something that Chu was not able to do.

In the ten years he has headed the CEC, this was the first time Huang had lost his temper in the Legislative Yuan and it took legislators, government officials and reporters at the scene by surprise.

Huang, who is nearly 70, was so infuriated that People First Party (PFP) Legislator Feng Ting-Kuo (馮定國), who was presiding over the committee session, had to call for a 30 minute recess.

After the recess, Chu apologized to Huang.