Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday expressed optimism over the passage of the organic bill of the national communications commission (NCC), saying the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is planning to seek a compromise on the issue.
"I will continue to conduct cross-party negotiations in a bid to convince both camps to make a little bit more of a compromise," he said. "I hope to see the bill pass the second and third readings within two weeks. After all, that is what the public wants us to do -- our job."
Wang said that some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers have told him that they hope to hammer out a new strategy and adopt a new stance on the bill today, after they meet with President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen is scheduled to have dinner with DPP lawmakers, government officials and local government chiefs today to discuss party affairs, including the "Six Reforms" he introduced during his Double Ten National Day address, as well as to work out strategies for the year-end elections.
WANG'S APPEAL
In addition to urging the pan-blue alliance to make some conces-sions, Wang called on the DPP caucus to realize that it is just a matter of time until the NCC bill passes, since the mandatory four-month negotiation period between caucuses ended on Sept. 22.
Legislative procedure mandates that a bill failing to secure a consensus from all legislative caucuses can only be tackled after the four-month negotiation period expires.
DPP caucus whip Jao Yung-ching (
ADJUSTMENTS
Regarding the composition of the body, Jao said that his caucus agrees to let parties recommend 18 potential nominees for the committee's nine members, in proportion to the seats each party has in the legislature, while the premier would nominate another nine candidates.
The 27 nominees would then be scrutinized by a review committee, made up of 11 to 13 media academics, experts and representatives of civic groups.
The review process must be in the form of an open public hearing, he said.
After the nine committee members are chosen, the premier would then nominate one of the committee members as the chairperson and two as vice chairpersons, pending the approval of the legislature.
Apparently unimpressed, the People First Party (PFP) yesterday wasted no time in pouring cold water on the DPP's new proposal.
PFP Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) said that his caucus' stance on the bill remains unchanged, unless the DPP restrains its members from using force and respects the "rules of democracy."
He criticized the DPP for using a two-handed strategy, and said that its new proposition is nothing new, because it is similar to the changes the DPP proposed during the last round of cross-party negotiations.
"The DPP was ganging up on us yesterday, and today it is asking us to accept its terms," he said.
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