In a bid to push for the new round of constitutional reforms, the Presidential Office's task force in charge of the promotion work will strengthen its function by spreading "constitutional reform seeds" in the public, a senior Presidential Office official said yesterday.
Among the agenda decided on by the office's Constitutional Reform Promotion Task force included the formation of a civil group promoting constitutional reforms, cultivating volunteers to publicize the concept of constitutional reforms and encourage schools and civil organizations to set up groups to conduct research on issues related to constitutional reforms.
"The purpose is to cultivate the soil of constitutional reforms, spread the seeds of constitutional reforms and allow broad participation from all sectors of the public to discuss the issues surrounding constitutional reforms," said Presidential Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun yesterday during a tea party with reporters.
"The value of a constitutional reform lies not only on its result, but also in allowing every citizen to take part in the process," Yu said.
Following the passage of the constitutional amendment package by the National Assembly earlier this month, President Chen Shui-bian (
The Presidential Office, wishing to forge consensus on the second phase of constitutional reforms, had previously spoken of forming a constitutional reform committee which would encompass members from all political parties as well as representatives from all sectors in society.
The proposal however had not been well-received by the opposition parties.
"Our direction to set up a constitutional reform committee has not changed nor is the plan to deliver in 2008 a constitution that is timely, relevant and viable," Yu said.
"We do not have a pre-set timetable in the forming of the constitutional reform committee," he said, adding, "we will definitely wait for the opposition parties' willingness to participate in the second phase of the constitutional re-engineering work to then form the committee."
"Before the committee is to formally established, we should prepare [for the new round of constitutional reform]," Yu said.
Yu urged the pan-blue opposition parties "to not deliberately neglect the importance and urgency the second phase of constitutional reform, as they relate to the country's national security and consolidation of its democracy."
The secretary-general said previously that Chen's plan to introduce the second phase of constitutional reform would not touch on sensitive political issues such as changing the country's official name, independence or unification, national sovereignty or territory.
Rather, he said, the president wants to discuss issues such as whether to have three branches or five branches of government, a presidential or a parliamentary system of government, lowering the voting age, overhauling the military conscription system, enhancing labor-rights protections and adding a special chapter on the well-being of Aborigines in the new constitution.
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