The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday praised Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for having “concretely responded” to protesting students’ demands to enact a law overseeing all cross-straits agreements before reviewing the controversial cross-strait service trade agreement.
Flanked by governing and opposition lawmakers, Wang visited the students, who have been occupying the legislative chamber since March 18 in protest against the government’s handling of the service trade pact, and announced he would not call a “consultative meeting” between legislative caucuses before the oversight law has been legislated.
“Over the 20 days, the DPP repeatedly called on President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to face the students and respond to their appeals to end the standoff. Unfortunately, Ma neglected the students and public voices that support the students,” DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a press conference yesterday afternoon held at the party’s headquarters.
“I believe the latest development is the first step toward an all-satisfying solution” to the current impasse at the legislature, where students protesting the service trade agreement are facing mounting pressure to return the main chamber to lawmakers.
Students have not just been protesting the “black-box procedures” for negotiating the pact with China and its contents, but also highlighting “serious trouble” in the country’s constitutional democracy, in that it no longer serves as a tool to solve problems when the popularly elected government has been adamant in pushing ahead a policy in violation of the majority of the public’s opinion, Su said.
As the majority view of the public has been “trampled upon” repeatedly, injustices against the younger generation have not been addressed and social justice remains illusive, as improvements in cross-strait ties have churned out benefits for only a few, Su added.
He lauded the students for “having done a good job” at this juncture in history.
Su added that the DPP hopes different versions of draft will be discussed and reviewed in the legislature and that during the review process, lawmakers will be able to conduct dialogues with students and respond to their appeals as well as accept voices from the public, and thereby produce a bill that could successfully monitor cross-strait exchanges.
Separately yesterday, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) said in an e-mailed statement that he admires Wang’s wisdom and feels sympathy for the students.
Gou, whose company assembles Apple Inc’s iPhones at factories in China, called on the students and all political parties to learn to let go of their differences so Taiwan can move forward.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS