President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday agreed to allow the legislature to review the controversial Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) clause by clause, but insisted that the trade pact should be voted on as a whole.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said Ma had reached a consensus with Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) during a weekly lunch at the Presidential Office yesterday.
Lo said the five KMT heavyweights exchanged opinions on the bills that the legislature intends to deal with during a provisional legislative session, which is likely to begin on Aug. 16.
The bills include the ECFA, an agreement on intellectual property rights protection, and amendments to the University Act (大學法) and the Vocational School Act (專科學校法) that would allow Taiwanese schools to accept Chinese students, the Local Government Act (地制法) and the second-generation national health insurance program.
On the review of the ECFA, Lo said all the participants agreed that the legislature should proceed following four main principles: Wu would report to the legislature and answer legislators’ questions; the legislature would review the agreement clause by clause; the accord must be voted on in its entirety; and the legislature could attach a rider to the agreement if necessary.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the KMT have yet to resolve the controversy over how to review the ECFA during the provisional session.
The DPP caucus has said the agreement should be screened clause by clause, with votes on every article. However, the KMT caucus says the legislature does not have the power to unilaterally alter the agreement and can only endorse or reject it as a whole.
The legislature held its first extraordinary legislative session last month, but KMT and DPP lawmakers scuffled after disagreeing on whether the ECFA should be reviewed clause by clause. The clashes left one KMT legislator bleeding, while a DPP lawmaker suffered a broken rib.
The DPP later withdrew from the session after the KMT majority upheld an announcement by Wang that the ECFA and the cross-strait copyright protection agreement would skip a preliminary review.
During last month’s special session, the KMT caucus also resolved not to invite the premier to brief the legislature and answer lawmakers’ questions regarding the ECFA.
DPP spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said the opposition remained dissatisfied with the president’s decision.
He said the DPP would not give up on its demand that lawmakers be given the authority to initiate a clause-by-clause vote on the agreement.
“If the ECFA brings as many benefits as the government claims, what’s stopping them from agreeing to our request?” Tsai said. “What’s so special about it that we still can’t properly review this agreement?”
Additional reporting by Vincent Y. Chao
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old