The Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) highest decision-making body yesterday announced its list of Control Yuan nominees and will send it to the Presidential Office.
Operations at the nation's supreme watchdog were stopped on Jan. 31, 2005, when the terms of the previous Control Yuan members expired. Because of the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan's refusal to endorse President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) list of nominees, the Control Yuan seats have remained unfilled for the past two years.
Chen agreed late last year to redraw the list of nominees and invited various political parties to recommend candidates.
The eight nominees are media commentator Nan Fang-shuo (南方朔), former Control Yuan member Yeh Yao-peng (葉耀鵬), Ko Ming-mou (柯明謀), Lin Shu-chi (林時機), Chao Chang-ping (趙昌平), Ger Yeong-kuang (葛永光), a political science professor at National Taiwan University, Ma Hsiu-ru (馬秀如), an accounting professor at National Chengchi University and former Taipei City councilor Lin Shui-chi (林水吉).
Thanks, but no
The party recommended Lung Ying-tai (龍應台), an author and professor at the University of Hong Kong, but Lung turned down the offer.
"I want to stay as an independent pen for society. It's not an easy decision, but speaking for the middle force in society is a crucial social responsibility," Lung said in a written statement.
Defending the list, KMT Acting Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday the nominees were the best candidates available.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chin-de (
Reconsider
Chen Chin-de yesterday called a press conference urging the KMT to reconsider its candidates.
"If the KMT decided to adhere to the list, I the president should turn it down. If not, I will work with other lawmakers to vote it down in the legislature," he said.
He said that all of them, except Nan, were not qualified to be Control Yuan members.
Among the seven, Chen Chin-de said former Control Yuan member Yeh, former Taipei city councilor Lin and former provincial councilor Ker were "extremely incompetent" because of their strong partisanship.
Additional reporting by CNA
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