The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
On Wednesday, Ma vowed during a KMT Central Standing Committee meeting that his party would push the "sunshine bills" and pass related bills in September when the new legislative session opens.
In response, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (
Ker called on Ma to order KMT lawmakers not to boycott these laws in the Procedure Committee.
"Ma may not understand that KMT lawmakers have been blocking the `sunshine bills' for the past few years, and we are glad to see that Ma is finally willing to deal with the laws that could do something about the KMT's stolen assets," Ker said.
The "sunshine bills" refer to a series of proposed anti-corruption laws, namely, draft laws on the disposition of assets improperly obtained by political parties, a lobbying bill, a bill covering political parties, a statute governing the Ministry of Justice's anti-corruption bureau, amendments to the Act on Property Declaration by Public Servants (公職人員財產申報法), the Legislators' Conduct Act (立法委員行為法) and the Public Officials Election and Recall Law (公職人員選舉罷免法).
"If Ma could allow the passage of the statute on the disposition of assets improperly obtained by political parties, real political reconciliation would eventually take place," Ker said.
DPP spokesman Tsai Huang-liang (
The DPP hoped that Ma would carry out his promise and enable the passage of the laws when the new legislative session starts in September, Tsai said.
DPP strategy
Meanwhile, DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun yesterday said that a provisional nomination systemwould enable the party to respond immediately to any move by the opposition to initiate a no-confidence vote against the premier.
Yu told the DPP's legislative caucus that "this will make the opposition think twice" before calling for a confidence vote, and would also significantly reduce the strategy's chance of success.
During a meeting of the DPP's Central Executive Committee on Wednesday, the party adopted a provisional nomination system to prepare for a scenario in which the legislature is dissolved after a successful no-confidence vote against Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌).
Yu said that unless preparations were made in advance, many legislators might be caught off-guard because a new election must be held within 60 days and only those who have registered their household in a constituency for at least four months are qualified to run there.
In addition, starting from the next legislature, the number of seats in the Legislative Yuan will be reduced from the current 225 to 113, Yu added.
He said that the party would decide on its legislative candidates using opinion surveys.
After failing to recall President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) over alleged corruption scandals surrounding his in-laws and close aides last month, the People First Party (PFP) is planning to make a second attempt to recall Chen when the legislature begins its next session in late September.
In addition, the PFP is also considering whether to launch a no-confidence vote against Su.
The PFP and its pan-blue ally the KMT initiated a motion to recall Chen last month, but the motion failed to get the necessary support of a two-thirds majority in the legislature.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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