Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) yesterday said that the party caucus would not issue a directive on whether the Civil Code would be amended to allow same-sex marriage or that a special law must be passed.
Ker also denied that he is averse to homosexuality, reports of which have led to speculation that his views have led the DPP to remain passive on amendments to marriage regulations.
A concert on Saturday promoting marriage equality saw people demanding an amendment to the Civil Code rather than a separate law for same-sex marriage, which critics say would be discriminatory.
Photo: CNA
Ker said in a radio interview yesterday that despite the DPP as a whole supporting marriage equality, both legislative directions have supporters in the caucus.
“This question will not [be solved by] a resolution made by the caucus,” he said.
As DPP legislators Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) — both staunch supporters of an amendment to the Civil Code — are legislators-at-large, radio host Clara Chou (周玉蔻) asked Ker whether their opinion indicates President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) position.
Ker said they did not.
“Tsai believes that the two [opposing] camps should have respect and tolerance for each other. There should not be sharpening and polarization of the opposition and calm communication should be used to decide whether the Civil Code should be amended or whether a special law should be introduced,” Ker said.
While Yu has sought to have reviews of related bills completed by Dec. 26, Ker said that even if the bills are sent out of committee by then, they would not be placed on the legislative agenda for a possible third reading until the next session, which would not start until next year at the earliest.
Ker also said the New Power Party (NPP) was guilty of “slinging mud” at the DPP.
Disagreement between the two parties has arisen, despite both being part of the pan-green camp, with the NPP saying the DPP has failed to make good on promises to advance labor rights and legalize same-sex marriage.
Chou asked whether the DPP would respond to the NPP’s challenges by taking back the three electoral districts the ruling party yielded to the NPP for this year’s legislative elections.
Ker said the matter was for the DPP’s election committee to address.
Ker said the NPP should “put the support it has earned from the young generation to good use” and “lead this force in a positive direction,” instead of playing dirty.
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
RSS