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KMT proposes two amendments on legislative reforms

"Sunshine bills should be dealt with under the sun."

Hsieh Kuo-liang, KMT caucus acting secretary-general

Following the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus' promise on Thursday to push for legislative reform, KMT caucus acting Secretary-General Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) yesterday proposed amendments to two sunshine bills.

Hsieh told a press conference that he had initiated a proposed amendment to the Public Functionary Assets Disclosure Law (公職人員財產申報法) that would oblige Grand Justices, Control Yuan members, legislators and city and county councilors to place their property in trusts.

Hsieh also proposed an amendment to the Civil Servants Conflict of Interests Prevention Act (公務人員利益迴避法) that would widen the scope of the law by requiring that elected officials and interested parties hand over any profits earned through operations that constitute a conflict of interests.

The amendment also allows the legislature to cancel a policy proposal if public officials in charge of reviewing it are caught in a conflict of interests.

Hsieh said that he had insisted on putting the two amendments to committee review, adding that he disagreed with the Democratic Progressive Party caucus' call to allow sunshine bills to skip the process to fast-track them.

Hsieh said under-the-table deals could be made during the cross-party negotiations if the bills were allowed to skip committee review.

"Sunshine bills should be dealt with under the sun," he said.

The KMT caucus promised to push parliamentary reform after president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) suggested on Wednesday that the KMT turn an integrity agreement signed by its legislators into a formal regulation governing all KMT members.

Ma also suggested that anyone who violates the regulation should lose any party nomination and be replaced.

The agreement, which was signed by all KMT legislative candidates in the run up to the Jan. 12 legislative elections, states that party legislators should not be involved in illegal lobbying, should avoid any conflict of interests and should push for sunshine bills to pass the legislature.
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