Bill on National Assembly rules needed: civic group

A private constitutional amendment supervision group called on the Legislative Yuan yesterday to pass a draft bill on the exercise of power by the mission-oriented National Assembly, to facilitate its task of reviewing a package of sweeping constitutional amendment proposals later this year.

The Cheng Hsin Constitutional Amendment Supervision Alliance, formed by several civic organizations such as the Judicial Reform Foundation, the Alliance for Parliamentary Reform Actions (APRA) and the Taipei Society, made the appeal to lawmakers during a press conference yesterday.

APRA Convener Lu Hsiu-chu (呂秀菊) said that members of the constitutional amendment supervision organization will call on the legislative caucuses of the governing and opposition parties and push for them to support the early passage of the draft bill.

The alliance will not rule out adopting radical steps, including mobilizing its members to surround the legislature and stage hunger strikes and other acts of civil disobedience in an attempt to force the legislature to pass the draft bill as soon as it can, Lu said, adding that the organization will also consider fielding its candidates for the National Assembly elections to be held in May.

According to Taipei Society President Hung Yu-hung (洪裕宏), the alliance insists that delegates to the mission-oriented National Assembly will only be responsible for voting on various constitutional amendment proposals adopted by the legislature at an extraordinary session last August.

Consequently, Hung stressed, the voting procedures should be simplified and the meeting should need to last for only three days.