Wed, Jan 16, 2008 page3

• KMT caucus vows to put people first

  PUBLIC WELFARE The caucus promised to set aside ideological debates and pass legislation to stimulate the economy and promote legislative and political reforms

  • By Flora Wang / STAFF REPORTER
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  After winning more than two-thirds of the legislative seats in Saturday's elections, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday vowed to prioritize bills that promote living standards, the economy and legislative reform over the next four years.

  KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) told a press conference that the caucus would give priority to several proposed amendments to the Political Donation Law (政治獻金法), Law Governing the Legislature's Power (立法院職權行使法), Statute Governing the Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例), Statute for Upgrading Industries (促進產業升級條例), Labor Standards Law (勞動基準法), Labor Insurance Regulations (勞工保險條例) and legislation on renewal of rural villages.

  Kuo said the caucus regretted the legislature's failure to push the bills in the past, but promised to complete legislation of these bills by the end of the term of the new legislature.

  The KMT overwhelmed its rival Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during Saturday's polls for a new, streamlined legislature by winning 57 of the 73 district seats, four of the six Aboriginal seats and 20 of the 34 legislator-at-large seats.

  The DPP, which accounted for 89 of the former 225-seat legislature, suffered a crushing defeat, claiming only 27 seats.

  The KMT's landslide victory has prompted concerns in some circles that it may enjoy the same monopoly it held in the legislature in the 1990s.

  KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) and presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) have on several occasions called on members to be humble despite the party's triumph at the polls.

  KMT Legislator Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), who was also present at the conference, promised that the 81 KMT lawmakers will organize a "clean legislature" to push sunshine bills following a "clean politics agreement" drawn up by the caucus.

  "We want to bring hope to the Taiwanese people," Lee said. "The KMT will take on the responsibility for economic development."

  Kuo said all of the 81 legislators are obliged to abide by the agreement after endorsing the document while they were campaigning for the elections.

  According to copies of the agreement provided by the caucus, KMT legislators should obey sunshine laws, such as the Lobby Law (遊說法), the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Law (公職人員財產申報法) and the Political Donation Law.

  The agreement stipulates that the caucus would organize a "legislative reform task force" that would prioritize bills on promoting public livelihoods and government budget requests while putting independence versus unification ideology aside.

  The document also showed that the caucus would seek to enact legislation that would prevent the government from "dodging legislative oversight" or refusing to execute bills passed by the legislature.

  The caucus will also push legislation to empower the speaker and committee heads to allow the legislature's police officers to remove legislators who obstruct meetings.
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