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Lawmakers return to Taipei to register for new session

"It is foreseeable to see the dust of the arms-procurement plan settled by March or April and the confirmation of the president's nomination of Control Yuan members make headway in the new session."

Wang Jin-pyng, legislative speaker

The winter detente between the ruling and opposition parties came to an end yesterday when lawmakers returned from their winter recess to begin registering for the new legislative session, due to begin on Feb. 21.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chen-nan (李鎮楠), the first to register, called on the pan-blue alliance to push the long-stalled special arms-procurement bill through to legislative committees for review in the upcoming session.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that he hopes to see the arms-procurement bill and the confirmation of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) Control Yuan nominees resolved during the forthcoming session.

"It is foreseeable to see the dust of the arms-procurement plan settled by March or April and the confirmation of the president's nomination of Control Yuan members make headway in the new session," Wang said.

Wang made the remarks yesterday morning after leading 16 lawmakers and legislative secretaries to offer Lunar New Year greetings in a Taiwanese opera performance entitled New Year's Greetings from Gods and Fairies (群仙賀喜).

Wang played the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) while Legislative Deputy Speaker Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉) was the Lord of Heaven (天官).

Wang met with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for about a hour before the performance.

Wang said that he and Ma discussed the arms-procurement package during their one-hour talk but did not touch on the Control Yuan nominees.

As the KMT plans to propose its own version of the arms-procurement bill by the end of the month, Wang said that the party would take into consideration the opinions of the US government during the drafting process.

It would then consult with the People First Party (PFP), New Party, Non-partisan Solidarity Union, the DPP and Taiwan Solidarity Union, Wang said.

PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), who also serves as the party's director of policy research, was hesitant yesterday to endorse the KMT's planned arms bill yesterday but said that he would like to see the legislative speaker mediate between the two parties before conducting cross-party negotiations to discuss the issue.

As long as the president does not clearly spell out a consistent cross-strait policy, Chang said that he is afraid more weapons would still be inadequate to ease cross-strait tension.

Chang made the remarks after talking with Wang behind closed-doors about the arms-procurement bill, the Control Yuan nominations, cross-strait relations and other issues at the legislative compound yesterday.

Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), director of the DPP's financial committee, yesterday dismissed media speculation that several private corporations have refused to make their ususal donations to the party because of their "disappointment" over the president's proposal to abolish both the National Unification Council and the National Unification Guidelines.

"The only thing I can say about this is whoever writes the report has great imagination," Ker said.

In related news, DPP Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) has called on the president to replace the nation's representative to the US, David Lee (李大維).

Chai claimed that Lee should be replaced for failing to ease Washington's concerns over the president's statement about getting rid of the unification council and guidelines.
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