Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday agreed that the time was not ripe for toppling the Cabinet, as the issue of redrawing electoral districts had to be resolved first.
The Non-Partisan Solidarity Union, a blue-leaning fringe party, is planning to launch the campaign next week in the legislature to force Ma to demand the Cabinet's resignation, calling on the KMT to support the plan.
The two KMT leaders, however, drew short of supporting the proposal during their one-hour closed-door meeting.
"It's not practical to topple the Cabinet now. We don't have solutions for redistricting yet. What should we do if the president decides to dismiss the legislature?" Wang said yesterday at KMT headquarters.
The president is legally entitled to dissolve the legislature and hold new elections should the legislature topple the Cabinet.
Therefore, Wang said, a new electoral system should be in force to deal with the possibility of the legislature being dissolved by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in the event of the Cabinet's removal.
If Chen were to dissolve the legislature, it would force an election, which would be required to use a "single member, two vote" system because of recent constitutional reforms. It would also mean that the total number of seats in the legislature would be reduced to 113 from 226. Half of all sitting legislators would lose their jobs.
Ma and Wang also discussed long-stalled bills and other legislative business, including a major arms procurement budget and the president's nominations for the Control Yuan.
The arms procurement budget and the nominations for the Control Yuan were likely to pass in the next legislative session, Ma said.
"The KMT caucus has reached a consensus on this issue [the arms procurement budget] ... We will be thinking positively," Ma said.
Wang said the party caucus would discuss the budget bill with the People First Party caucus.
As for the Control Yuan nominees, Ma said the KMT would agree not to raise the approval threshold from one-half to a two-thirds majority to resolve the deadlock.
"But the president should nominate professionals. Otherwise, the real function of the Control Yuan would be limited," Ma added.
Wang also expressed his support for the "sunshine bills" proposed by the KMT that aim to fight corruption, promising to push for the passage of these laws in the Legislative Yuan.
The legislation includes a lobbying bill, a bill regulating political party activities, and amendments to the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Law (
also see story:
Editorial: Topple the Cabinet? Bring it on
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
RSS