Thu, Jul 08, 2004 page3

• March 19 committee progressing

  INTERVIEWS Despite opposition against legislators in the proposed committee into the election-eve shooting, the Control Yuan head is talking to prospective members

  • By Debby Wu / STAFF REPORTER
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  Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復) lost no time getting to work on the special investigative committee into the March 19 attack on the president and vice president, and has consulted several possible candidates from the legislature and the Control Yuan, despite strong opposition against legislators' participation in the committee.

  Chien has consulted with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kao Yu-jen (高育仁), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator You Ching (尤清), Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Wu Tong-sheng (吳東昇), and People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chen Chin-hsin (陳進興).

  All four legislators are qualified lawyers with strong legal background.

  Chien has also interviewed members of the Control Yuan with a legal background, as well as administrative experience.

  While the two legislators from the pan-green camp have confirmed that they were approached by Chien and have expressed their willingness to participate in the committee's activities, Chen seemed inclined to reject the invitation due to the PFP's concern that there is no legal basis for the formation of the committee.

  The PFP legislative caucus meanwhile urged all legislators to decline committee membership and said it would consider recommending Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to head the committee by amending the draft statute mandating the special investigative committee.

  The statute governing the committee was proposed by the pan-blue camp, and will be put to the vote in August.

  Kao could not be reached for comment yesterday, but the KMT legislative caucus said it was opposed to the committee starting work before the statue had been passed.

  A top KMT official said that several lawmakers from across party lines were opposing legislators' participation in the committee to prevent it from becoming an arena for political strife and bickering.

  The official said that the statute might be amended to exclude legislators' participation in the committee.

  Although Chien has already started giving shape to the committee, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday that Chien told him the committee would not start work before its legal basis had been established in the legislature.

  "Chien told me that the committee would operate according to the law, and there would not be two committees," Wang said.

  He said that Chien had contacted him yesterday morning to discuss committee affairs.

  "Although Chien has started consulting with certain candidates, this is only his private capacity. Since the statute governing the committee has not been passed, it is still unknown how the members will be chosen, and Chien's efforts now may turn out to be for naught in the end," Wang said.
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