Lawmaker attacks composition of party's task force

A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday complained that his party was indifferent to its lawmakers' opinions on creating a new constitution.

"The party headquarters does not pay attention to its members in the Legislative Yuan," Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) said.

"Only one legislator was invited to join the task force for drafting a new constitution," he said.

The DPP created a task force on Tuesday that included constitutional expert Lee Hung-hsi (李鴻禧), Presidential Office Secretary General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文).

Legislator Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏), also a member of the DPP's Central Standing Committee, was the only DPP lawmaker named to the nine-member committee.

Shen argued that overhauling the constitution would require lawmakers to enter lengthy and complicated multiparty negotiations.

The party headquarters should realize the importance of legislators' participation in the discussions, Shen said.

He complained that the task force excluded Legislator Lin Cho-shui (林濁水), head of the DPP's Central Policy Center and the one most knowledgable about constitutional issues in the party caucus.

"Lin's exclusion causes me to question the real function of the task force," Shen said.

DPP legislative whip Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the party caucus was forming a legislative panel to discuss the new constitution.

"The caucus will work to coordinate lawmakers' views before exchanging opinions with ranking officials at the party's headquarters. There is no contradiction between the two missions," Chen said.

Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) said the task force was created with a mission that went beyond the level of party affairs. The participation of lawmakers is another phase of the process that will come later, he said.