Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shyu Jonh-shyoung (徐中雄) of exploiting debtors by only pretending to push for the passage of a bill that would wipe out consumers' debts under certain conditions and allow them to apply for bankruptcy.
Ker said it was apparent that the KMT did not really want the bill to pass because KMT whip Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) had not endorsed the bill during cross-party negotiations on May 31.
"Since I called for another cross-party negotiation session yesterday [on Tuesday], everyone should sit down and talk to help the bill pass the third reading as soon as possible. But neither Shyu nor Tseng want to talk to me," Ker said.
The bill was put on hold in the legislature on Tuesday at the request of Ker, which could mean that the bill is delayed for as long as four months.
Shyu and several debtors had accused Ker of defending banks at debtors' expense after the bill was denied a second and third reading in Tuesday's plenary session.
Six debtors staged a demonstration in front of DPP headquarters yesterday afternoon, demanding that Ker endorse the bill.
They requested a meeting with Ker, but the headquarters' security guards responded by rolling down the building's security gate.
"If the KMT really wants the bill to pass, why did it place the bill [as low as] 45th on the agenda of Friday's [tomorrow's] plenary session during Tuesday's Procedural Committee Meeting?" Ker asked. "The KMT is actually blocking the bill, but shifting the blame to the DPP."
Dismissing Ker's remarks as "lies," Shyu said in a separate setting yesterday that he had asked Ker why he had gone back on a promise made by DPP whip Wang Sing-nan (
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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