Print

Mail

wiki links

Ma cool on toppling the Cabinet, for now

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said his party's caucus will discuss a Non-Partisan Solidarity Union campaign demanding the Cabinet's resignation.

Ma made the remarks yesterday in response to Legislator Lin Pin-kun (林炳坤), who on Tuesday said the union would launch the campaign next week in the legislature to force Ma to make his position on the matter clear.

While stressing that toppling the Cabinet and proposing another presidential recall motion "have always been options for the KMT," Ma said that the redrawing of electoral districts was the major consideration in any attempt to topple the Cabinet.

"[Pushing for a dismissal of the Cabinet now] has its difficulties. Redistricting is a variable that we must consider. The possibility of dismissing the Cabinet would be greater if redistricting is completed," Ma said yesterday.

The new electoral system should be in force if the legislature is dissolved by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the event of the Cabinet's removal, Ma said.

If Chen dissolved the legislature, this would force an election, which under constitutional reforms would adopt the "single member, two vote" system. Half of the current legislators would lose their jobs as a result.

The KMT would therefore not push for the resignation of the Cabinet until next year, as the redrawing of electoral boundaries would not pass the legislature until the end of this year.

`SUNSHINE LAWS'

KMT spokesman Huang Yu-cheng (黃玉振) yesterday said the party was focusing its efforts on "sunshine laws" that aim to fight corruption.

Urging other political parties to back the bills, Ma said the KMT would be willing to enter into party-to-party negotiations to gain support from all parties.

"We are not doing this for the KMT, but for the country," Ma said yesterday during a press conference at KMT headquarters.

Ma also urged his party caucus to "save the country's economy" by legislating to boost the economy and supporting policies of merit presented by the Democratic Progressive Party.
This story has been viewed 1660 times.