The pan-blue camp has gained the upper hand in the struggle over a controversial statute authorizing the formation of a committee to investigate the March 19 shooting incident as the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) caucus decided yesterday that at least five of its 11 votes will be cast against the Cabinet's veto.
The legislature on Aug. 24 passed a statute to create a special committee to investigate the election-eve shooting of the president and vice president. In response, the Executive Yuan, which says the statute violates the Constitution, on Sept. 3 sent it back to the legislature in a reconsideration request. The legislature must now vote on the statute again, which it will do next Tuesday.
The NPSU's decision is a heavy blow to the pan-green camp, as the pan-blues are now likely to succeed in rejecting the Cabinet's request to overturn the statute and proceed with forming the committee.
The NPSU caucus, originally called the Alliance of Independent Lawmakers, currently consists of 11 lawmakers. The caucus reached a consensus yesterday that all the members would be present at the sitting, with five voting against the request and another five voting for.
The one remaining member will decide by drawing lots whether to vote for or against the request.
"We are neither blue nor green, but if we do not participate in the sitting at all as we claimed earlier, we would probably be deemed as supporting one side [the pan-green], so we are splitting up our votes," NPSU chairwoman Chang Po-ya (
NPSU Secretary-General Chen Chieh-ju (
Despite the NPSU's claim to remain neutral in the political struggle over the investigative committee, the union's decision came as good news to the pan-blue camp.
To sustain the statute the pan-blues need at least 109 lawmakers to vote against the Cabinet's request, and need help from NPSU lawmakers to achieve this.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP) caucuses together have 112 lawmakers in the legislature, but two KMT lawmakers are on the run from the law, and a few others are likely to rebel.
With five votes from the NPSU, the pan-blue camp should be able to win the showdown with the pan-greens.
The pan-blue camp showed appreciation and pleasure yesterday at the NPSU's decision.
Although the pan-green camp was pessimistic on the news, President Chen Shui-bian (
Lee told Chen the caucus was certain the statute would be invalidated when the Grand Justices make a Constitutional interpretation of the statute.
If the statute is passed by the legislaturea second time, the pan-greens are likely to ask the Council of Grand Justices to rule on its constitutionality. This is seen as the Cabinet's final option to nullify the statute.
According to Lee, however, Chen said the caucus must win on the first try, that is, by invalidating the statute by winning the vote next Tuesday.
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