KMT, PFP nominate nine to join shooting committee

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) yesterday nominated nine members to a committee investigating the March 19 assassination attempt, while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its ally Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) refused to participate.

According to the March 19 Shooting Truth Investigation Special Committee Statute (三一九槍擊事件真相調查特別委員會條例), the committee must consist of 17 members drawn from outside the legislature, the Control Yuan or other government agencies and state-run businesses.

Based on legislative proportions, the DPP can appoint six members, the KMT five, the PFP four, the TSU one and the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) one.

All the nominees must be finalized and appointed by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

The nine members nominated by the pan-blue alliance include former Judicial Yuan president Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚), former Control Yuan members Wang Ching-feng (王清峰) and Chai Chung-chuan (翟宗泉), former Investigation Bureau director Wang Kuang-yu (王光宇), former grand justice Cheng Chien-tsai (鄭建才), former vice minister of national defense Chen Chao-mi (陳肇敏) and former representative to the US Stephen Chen (陳錫蕃).

The others are Fang Chung-min (方中民), a consultant to the Ministry of Justice's Institute of Forensic Medicine and Yu Yue-tang (余玉堂), a former deputy director-general of the National Police Agency.

The NPSU nominated attorney Luo Ming-tung (羅明通).

The DPP and TSU have made it clear that they will not take part in the committee because they believe the legislation establishing it is unconstitutional and tramples on the authority of judicial and prosecutorial officials.

DPP legislative caucus convenor Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday urged the nominees to think twice before accepting the posts. Ker warned the nominees that their reputations would be hurt if they became a member of an "illegal organization."

DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), who also serves as a leader of the caucus, questioned the impartiality of the commission in light of the obvious affiliation of the nine pan-blue nominees with the pan-blue alliance.

The KMT and the PFP also suggested yesterday that the commission hold its first meeting next Monday.

Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), head of the KMT's Policy Committee, said that the pan-blue alliance would like to see the new commission meet on Monday and stressed that it would operate in a non-partisan, impartial and independent manner.

PFP Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) called on the pan-green camp not to boycott the committee and for the president to ask the DPP caucus to name committee members.

"I hope President Chen and the DPP aren't afraid of nominating committee members since they're in favor of an investigation committee, albeit one led by Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (錢復)," he said.