An anti-nuclear activist group urged lawmakers from across the political spectrum yesterday to honor their promise of halving the number of legislative seats as part of much-anticipated legislative reforms.
Senior officials from the Nuke-4 Referendum Initiative Association (Nuke-4 RIA) made their appeal at a news conference held in front of the Legislative Yuan.
"Today is the final day of the four-month consultative period for a draft legislative downsizing-related constitutional amendment bill that the opposition-controlled legislature completed a first reading of on March 19. We hope the bill can be put on the agenda for the legislature's planned extra session to speed up legislative reform," Nuke-4 RIA chief executive Yeh Po-wen (
Yeh said nearly all lawmakers promised to push for legislative downsizing in the run-up to the legislative elections three years ago.
"Now that their tenures are running out, lawmakers should put aside their partisan interests and considerations and work together to deliver on their previous campaign promises," Yeh said.
He also urged Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Stressing that integrity and credibility are a politician's most important personal qualities, Yeh said the lawmakers should not go back on their legislative downsizing campaign promises.
The Constitution stipulates that the legislature should have 225 seats.
The Legislative Yuan passed the first reading of the legislative downsizing constitutional amendment bill on March 19, but it has not been put up for a second reading due to opposition from some independent lawmakers.