On Feb. 14, Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) agreed to resume work on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, marking a U-turn in DPP policy. He had scrapped construction of the plant the previous October as President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had pledged during his election campaign.
The policy reversal ended a four-month standoff between the executive and legislative branches but angered anti-nuclear activists, a backbone constituency of the DPP.
At issue is the 2700-megawatt power plant which the KMT maintained is necessary to ward off potential energy shortages. The project was 30 percent complete when the Cabinet slammed the brakes on its construction in keeping with the anti-nuclear clause enshrined in the DPP charter.
The scrapping of the power plant, announced immediately after a meeting between Chen and KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien looked to the People First Party and the New Party for support, and together they formed the opposition alliance that controlled two-thirds of the seats in the legislature this year.
Cashing in on their numerical superiority, opposition lawmakers declared the premier persona non grata, denying him entry to the legislative chamber and shutting down all talks with the DPP caucus.
Enraged KMT lawmakers threatened to mount a recall campaign against the president.
As a remedy, both camps petitioned the Council of Grand Justices to rule on the legality of the Cabinet's refusal to carry out a project it had inherited from the previous administration. On Jan. 15, the Grand Justices concluded the Cabinet's decision to ditch the power plant was "procedurally flawed" and suggested the Cabinet seek retroactive approval from the legislature.
Following two weeks of talks, heads from the executive and legislative branches inked an agreement to revive the plant's construction.
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