Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday criticized 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) as more "barbarous" than the order initiating the martial law period. But Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said if the Cabinet refused to carry out the statute, it would damage the Constitution.
Su explained that he considered the statute "barbarous" because it permits the committee to arrest someone without a warrant.
Su said that according to the statute, the committee could also fine someone for not showing up for questioning.
"Although the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has become an opposition party, it still ... causes chaos," Su said. "The opposition parties are creating a constitutional monster with their majority in the Legislative Yuan."
"Even committee convener Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚) said that the statute should be amended," Su said. "This is like when a car's brakes are not working and it shouldn't go on the road lest it cause accidents."
Su made the statement while attending legislative election campaign activities in Kaohsiung County yesterday. Su also urged voters to help the pan-green camp become the majority in the Legislative Yuan in order to put an end to political chaos.
Cabinet spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), accompanying Su, also criticized the committee members as biased, pointing out that Shih had actually opposed the ending of the martial-law period and that Chai Tsung-chuan's (翟宗泉) views were also slanted.
"Chai was the convener of the Liang-Soong supporters' club in Kaohsiung, and he once said that there was an invisible hand behind the shooting," Chen said. "With biased members like this, if the committee keeps on running, I don't believe it will discover the truth."
But Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou said that since the statute went through the complete legislative process, and the Cabinet failed in its reconsideration request, the Cabinet was bound to follow the statute.
Ma made the statement when he was attending campaign activities in Taipei City yesterday.
"The right to challenge is the people's right over the government, but not the government's right over another legitimate agency," Ma said. "If the government can exercise the right to challenge, does that mean the national army can aim weapons at the president?"
"The Constitution stipulates that after a reconsideration request is rejected, the Cabinet must follow the law. How can the Cabinet say `it depends'? Has the Cabinet become the grand justices? If the Cabinet can replace the grand justices, then why is it still necessary to request a Constitutional interpretation? If the Cabinet keeps acting like that, it will force Taiwan's legal system to backtrack."
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