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Legislative committee condemns Yeh

The Organic Laws and Statutes Committee yesterday condemned Presidential Office Secretary-General Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) for failing to answer to the committee and referred her to the Control Yuan for correction or impeachment.

The committee's resolution is not legally binding. The Control Yuan has been idle since its mem-bers' terms expired in January 2005. The legislature has since refused to vote on President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) nominees.

The committee, dominated by the pan-blue camp, denounced Yeh for not attending the meeting and demanded government officials failing to attend the committee specify a reason for their absence.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進), who chaired the meeting, said that Yeh asked for leave of absence on Saturday, citing a busy schedule.

Lee said Yeh should have assigned either of her two deputy secretary-generals, Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) or Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), or another high-ranking Presidential Office official attend the meeting.

"What are they afraid of?" Lee said.

He said he tried to get in touch with someone at the Presidential Office yesterday but failed.

Lee said he expected the Presidential Office to attend next Monday's meeting because the committee will begin reviewing the Presidential Office's budget for next year.

KMT Legislator Hsu Shao-ping (徐少萍) said Yeh, as a former lawmaker, should know how the legislature operates and suggested the committee condemn Yeh.

Hsu said she wondered whether Yeh was so preoccupied with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) campaign activities that she was scared of showing up because she knew so little about the topic.

Yeh also serves as Hsieh's campaign director.

KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said Yeh was constitutionally obliged to answer to the committee because she was paid by the government, not by Hsieh's campaign office.

"But she does not need to come and we don't welcome her here if she considers herself an official of the `Republic of Taiwan' government," Lu said.

Lu proposed condemning Yeh and asking the Control Yuan to censure her. He also suggested the committee stringently review next year's Presidential Office budget and revamp the Office of the President Organization Act (總統府組織法) to abolish the position of Presidential Office secretary-general.

KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) proposed freezing the Presidential Office's budget and to keep inviting Yeh to the committee until she shows up.

Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said office members do not attend committee meetings unless the committee is reviewing the office's budget.
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