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Post-Election 2008: Legislative speaker denies `State of the Union' story

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday that it was unlikely that the legislature would take the initiative to invite president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to deliver a "State of the Union-style" address after he assumes office, unless Ma wants to.

Wang dismissed a story in yesterday's Chinese-language United Daily News which said Wang hoped Ma could establish a "constitutional precedent" by delivering an address in the Legislative Yuan after he is sworn in.

When asked for comment, Wang said the legislature would have to find a cross-party consensus before Ma could give an address.

Wang said he was willing to fully cooperate with Ma if he needed to communicate to the legislature through him.

In related developments, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucuses criticized each other over whether legislative interpellations by the Cabinet should be suspended following the KMT's victory in Saturday's election.

The DPP caucus said yesterday that its members would oppose the KMT caucus' request that the premier continue his regular briefings to the legislature before the new president takes his oath on May 20.

"What they [the KMT] are requesting reflects the fact they want to bully the rest of the legislature," DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said. "No law regulates this, not even the Constitution."

Ker said that the premier's priorities now would be to ensure a smooth transition of power to the new premier.

"This is not the first handover of power. In the past, if that happened, the premier would not have had to brief the legislature before the new president and his government took the oath," Ker said.

"We should maintain that tradition," he said.

KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) responded by accusing Ker of lying, saying that the legislature does not have such a precedent of suspending the interpellation sessions following a presidential poll.

"The Cabinet is still pushing administrative work [before May 20]. Why does the legislature have to give up its right to question Cabinet officials and help the public supervise the government?" Lin said.

Showing the press copies of a cross-party negotiation document endorsed by Ker and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU) Legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標) agreeing to suspend the interpellations, Lin said the KMT agreed to discuss the matter yesterday morning because Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) had sought the KMT caucus' opinion through the speaker.

"If the KMT caucus had really forced [the DPP and the NPSU to accept the conclusion], why did the DPP sign the document before the KMT?" Lin said.

The document showed that the premier would not be required to attend today's interpellation session, but would be required to report "the Cabinet's principles to deal with important administrative affairs before May 20" to the legislature on Friday.

The interpellation session originally scheduled for next Tuesday would also be suspended, the document showed.

The conclusion, however, is not valid unless the KMT caucus also endorses it.

Upset by what it called the DPP's attempt's to "discredit" the KMT caucus, Lin last night said the KMT would refuse to endorse the agreement and the interpellation session would continue today as originally scheduled.

Meanwhile, Ker and his fellow DPP lawmakers apologized to their supporters during a press conference at the DPP caucus office for the DPP's defeats in January's legislative election and Saturday's election.

Ker said that the DPP would recognize and admit its failures but its members would still stand tall as political opponents to the KMT.

"We shall make sure that [the] president-elect carries out his campaign promises," Ker said.

He said that DPP members would elect a new chairman in May.

But, at the moment, potential candidates shall not be the focus for discussions because what DPP members should do is to figure out what they did wrong and what they need to improve so the public would regain their faith in the party, he said.

"If Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) keeps his promise and withdraws from politics after his defeat, we will respect his decision. If that is the case, we shall have an acting chairman until a new chairman is elected in May," Ker said.

"It is more important for us to figure out how to do our jobs well and make sure the KMT is doing the right thing," he said.
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