People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday reaffirmed that he would assume a legislator-at-large seat if President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was willing to debate national policy in the legislature.
Speaking at a press conference, Soong called on Chen not to make a state-of-the-nation report to the legislature, but take part in a debate instead. If that were to happen, Soong said he would become a legislator-at-large and join the debate.
Soong's comments came one day after Chen said he was willing to present a report on national affairs to the Legislative Yuan in the interest of resolving policy conflicts between party caucuses.
On Sept. 17, Soong called for Chen to enter into talks with the legislature and said that he would take on a legislator-at-large seat should his proposal be accepted.
"I commend Chen for responding to my offer, even though he had no choice but to eventually answer to the public," he said yesterday.
Urging Chen to consider a debate, Soong said Chen should "accept the people's questions" to demonstrate his sincerity and allow the legislature to perform its function of supervising the executive.
Soong rejected claims from the Democratic Progressive Party that the Constitution does not allow for the president to be questioned in the legislature. As there was nothing expressively forbidding the president from debating the legislature, Chen should not hide behind excuses, Soong said.
He said that a number of PFP legislators-at-large had offered to forfeit their seats so that he could become a legislator. He hinted that Legislator Lee Tung-hao (李桐豪) would most likely be the one to give up his seat.
Soong said that he would regret any legislator resigning, but that he had to "pursue justice without turning back."
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS