The legislature yesterday saw legislators from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) scuffle over a motion to refer a bill on the institution of an oversight mechanism to regulate cross-strait agreements to the Internal Administration Committee for review, with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) withdrawing its boycott.
On Friday last week in the general assembly, the TSU caucus proposed 349 agenda-changing motions — and the DPP 151 for a total of 500 — to block the floor’s agenda, which included the reconsideration of the oversight bill.
The reconsideration would have been put to a vote if processed, almost guaranteeing — with the KMT’s majority in the legislature — the ruling party’s successful referral of the bill to the committee this week for a review presided over by a KMT legislator.
Photo: Chien Jung-fung, Taipei Times
The general assembly adjourned early on Friday due to the tactics and yesterday continued to deal with the remaining 344 agenda-changing motions.
However, the KMT caucus changed its tactics and did not raise objections to the motions, sparing the time needed for a vote on each and aiming to have the motions passed before the end of the day so the oversight bill could be referred to the committee.
The TSU counteracted with four extempore motions to dismiss the meeting, which were all voted down by KMT lawmakers.
Photo: Chien Jung-fung, Taipei Times
At the third and fourth calls for adjournment, legislators from the KMT and TSU raucously quarreled over the TSU’s moves, with KMT legislators accusing their TSU counterparts of wasting resources and the latter adamant that the KMT would not preside over the review of the oversight bill.
The DPP, while supporting the TSU’s boycott in previous weeks, withdrew its motions yesterday.
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said that he “could not comprehend the TSU’s actions, as different versions of the bill have been proposed and everyone is calling for the review to be done as soon as possible.”
“The KMT has succumbed to our insistence that the two parties would take turns on presiding over the review and that [KMT Legislator] Chang Ching-chung (張慶忠), would not be the KMT’s chair for the review. What is the reason for the TSU’s obstruction now?” Tuan asked.
Chang helped trigger last year’s student-led Sunflower movement by attempting to rush the cross-strait service trade agreement through the legislature.
The TSU caucus called the DPP’s withdrawal “a compromise” with the KMT and demanded a KMT-free review of the bill.
The floor meeting adjourned without addressing all of the agenda-changing motions proposed by the TSU and without a vote on the referral of the reconsideration.
Meeting chairperson Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said after the adjournment that the DPP caucus should “stand with the KMT against the TSU, rather than not showing up for the meeting, if it really supports a quick passage of the bill.”
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