President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) met Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators for dinner yesterday, calling on them to pass a general budget bill and other bills before the new legislative session begins on Friday.
“The KMT has complete power over the country and we must take full responsibility … The government will strengthen communication with party legislators and hopefully the two sides will be more cooperative,” Ma said yesterday during dinner at the Taipei Guest House.
Ma will hold two other dinners with party legislators today and on Friday to hold discussions with them and seek the their support for his nomination of the Examination Yuan president, Control Yuan vice president, Control Yuan members and grand justices.
The Presidential Office will present the nomination list to the Legislative Yuan on Friday.
The legislature rejected Ma’s initial nominations of Chang Chun-yen (張俊彥) as Examination Yuan president, Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) as Control Yuan vice president and three other nominees affiliated with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) during previous legislative session.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄), KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and top KMT officials were also present at the dinner.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the casualties and damage brought by Typhoon Sinlaku, Ma promised to visit disaster-hit areas in Taichung and Nantou today after being criticized for failing to address the needs of the victims and their families.
Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chih (王郁琦) dismissed criticism of the Ma administration’s slow response to the disaster and said Ma would inspect the areas today.
DPP legislators criticized Ma yesterday for attending ceremony in Taipei yesterday while failing to inspect damaged areas.
DPP caucus whip Chang Hua-kuan (張花冠) told a press conference yesterday that Ma held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of Nankang Software park in the morning, attended a press conference at Kuo Kwang Biotechnology Company in the afternoon held a dinner with KMT legislators in the evening.
Chang said Ma did not care about the people who were affected by the typhoon.
She said Ma did not inspect Taichung County’s Houfeng Bridge (后豐橋), which collapsed on Sunday, Nantou County’s Fengchiu Tunnel (豐丘隧道), which was crushed by a mudslide, or the dangerous Lushan Hot Springs Area.
Chang also demanded that Liu resign over the collapse, claiming that it reflected the manner in which the Ma administration has ruled the country since May.
DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) said it was irresponsible for the government to only allocate NT$180 million (US$5.6 million) for repair work at 10 bridges deemed dangerous throughout the country.
KMT Caucus Secretary-General Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) dismissed criticism of the president, urging the DPP not to play the blame game amid the typhoon relief.
Chang said each government chief had his or her own responsibility, adding there was no need for the premier and the president to take inspection trips after every natural disaster.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS