Tue, Sep 11, 2007 page3

• Premier to give lawmakers a policy briefing

  • By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Ko Shu-ling / STAFF REPORTERS
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  Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will brief the legislature on his administration policy today, the first day of the new interpellation session.

  The legislature's Procedure Committee yesterday set the agenda and the schedule for reviewing and voting on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) candidate for auditor-general of the Ministry of Audit, Lin Ching-lung (林慶隆).

  Lin, now the deputy auditor-general of the ministry, was named to replace the 80-year-old Su Chen-ping (蘇振平), who had served in the position for three six-year terms since 1989.

  Lawmakers will have a plenary question-and-answer session with Lin tomorrow and a confirmation vote is scheduled for Friday.

  In related developments, negotiations on a schedule for screening and voting on nominees for the Council of Grand Justices remained stalled because of objections from the People First Party (PFP).

  Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he hoped the legislature could finish the confirmation process by the end of this month before the expiration of the grand justices' current term.

  The Democratic Progressive Party has claimed that the PFP was withholding its confirmation of grand justice nominees as a bargaining chip in separate negotiations over Chen's new nominees for Control Yuan members, an allegation that the PFP has denied.

  It was rumored that the PFP had recommended two of its legislators -- Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) and Feng Ting-kuo (馮定國) -- as well as party Deputy Secretary-General Ma Chieh-ming (馬傑明) for inclusion in the president's Control Yuan nomination list.

  Legislative Vice Speaker Chung Jung-chi (鍾榮吉), another PFP member, was also said to be on Chen's list of nominees for vice president of the Control Yuan.

  Wang said that the legislature could handle confirmation hearings for Control Yuan members and for grand justices at the same time.

  In response, Deputy Presidential Office Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday that it would make more sense for the legislature to first confirm the president's nominees for grand justices and the chief auditor, whose terms will expire on Oct. 1.

  As for the president's choice for Control Yuan members, Cho said that Chen would take different opinions into consideration and decide on the matter as soon as possible.

  Chen has nominated incumbent Grand Justice Lai Ying-jaw (賴英照) as his candidate for president of the Judicial Yuan and another incumbent, Hsieh Tsai-chuan (謝在全), as his candidate for the body's vice president.

  Eight candidates have also been selected for grand justice positions. They are Yeh Sai-ying (葉賽鶯), chairwoman of the Taiwan 21st Century Women's Association; Lin Hsi-yao (林錫堯), chief prosecutor at the Supreme Court Prosecutors' Office; Chi Chi-ming (池啟明) of the Supreme Court; Tsai Ching-you (蔡清遊), president of Fuchien High Court Kinmen Branch; Liu Shing-i (劉幸義), a law professor at National Taipei University; Lee Chen-shan (李震山), a law professor at National Chung Cheng University; Hsu Chih-Hsiung (許志雄), Minister without Portfolio doubling as Minister of Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs; and Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮), a law professor at National Taiwan University.
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