A legislative committee meeting turned violent yesterday after pan-blue and pan-green lawmakers locked horns over whether to continue discussing proposed amendments to the Referendum Law (公民投票法).
Pan-green draft amendments to the law seek to preserve the president's constitutional right to initiate a "defensive referendum" during a national emergency.
Pan-blue draft amendments, on the other hand, seek to require that any presidential order to hold such a referendum be endorsed by the Legislative Yuan within 10 days of its issuance.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Asking voters whether China should remove its missiles targeting Taiwan and whether it should negotiate with China in fostering cross-strait peace, the referendum was widely seen as a flop because a voter turnout below 50 percent invalidated the results.
The pan-blue camp has slammed Chen for using the referendum to shore up support for his re-election bid and manipulate the 2004 presidential election.
"What countries aside from Taiwan allow its president to hold a referendum on a whim?" Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) asked Vice Minister of the Interior Lin Mei-chu (林美珠) during yesterday's Home and Nations legislative committee meeting.
Plugging the Cabinet's draft amendment, which also seeks to preserve the president's authority to call a snap referendum, Lin replied that Taiwan's "special situation" vis-a-vis China justified the need for such a presidential power.
"Only our country is threatened in such a way by China," Lin said.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator David Huang (黃適卓) said that "when our sovereignty is threatened by China, referendums are necessary to protect the nation."
Huang added that referendums promoted solidarity in the face of an outside threat, while allowing leaders to gauge the fears and needs of the people before formulating policies to safeguard national interests.
Pan-blue lawmakers disagreed.
"President Chen Shui-bian [陳水扁] used a referendum to hijack the presidential election, which he sealed with two bullets," People First Party (PFP) Legislator Feng Ting-kuo (馮定國) said. "We're worried that such referendums will be used to influence future elections, which is why we want to have the legislature weigh in on such decisions."
A shouting match between pan-green and pan-blue lawmakers then erupted over the procedures involved in hashing out seven different draft amendments to the Referendum Law.
What was originally a verbal clash quickly took a turn for the physical when DPP legislator Kao Chien-chih (高建智) snatched the KMT's draft amendment from KMT Legislator Chu Fong-chi (朱鳳芝).
Kao taunted Chu by holding it over the KMT lawmaker as she jumped up in an attempt to snatch it back. Kao then passed the crumpled bill off to DPP Legislator Jao Yung-Ching (
At that point, Chu tackled Jao and both hit the floor with a thud that shook the room.
DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
The committee chairman, Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NSU) Legislator Tsai Hau (蔡豪), struggled to call for a vote to adjourn the meeting prematurely because of the aggressive atmosphere, but pan-green lawmakers gagged him with their hands, shouting: "Continue the discussion!"
After some struggle, Tsai, a staunch KMT ally, hastily called an end to the meeting and raced out.
The seven draft amendments to the law will continue to be discussed in the committee until one version can be agreed on, at which point that version will advance to the floor for a final vote.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS