As scores of activists yesterday protested outside Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) headquarters over the legislature’s failure to pass proposed constitutional changes on Tuesday, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) blamed the opposition for obstructing the amendments for its own ends.
Tuesday was the last day of the legislature’s plenary session and the last opportunity for the constitutional amendment bills to pass in time for a referendum on the reforms to take place alongside the presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 16.
The legislature failed to pass the bills, with the two major parities at loggerheads over whether the amendments should be approved separately or as a package.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called for the passage of the amendments that had secured cross-party-caucus consensus, such as the lowering of the voting age and the threshold for parties to secure representation in the legislature, while leaving the contentious ones to the next stage of reform.
However, the KMT insisted that absentee voting and the legislature’s power to approve the premiership, which it says has wide public support, should be passed in tandem.
The Civil Alliance to Promote Constitutional Reform and members of several other civil groups, including the Green Party and the Social Democratic Party, yesterday gathered outside KMT headquarters to protest the party’s insistence on pushing its own constitutional proposals “for the party’s benefits, without caring about the nation’s reform.”
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Some hurled eggs at the building.
The same group had staged a sit-in outside the legislature on Tuesday, demanding it pass the bills on lowering the voting age and the party threshold. After learning that cross-party negotiations in the legislature had broken down, the protesters accused the KMT of “kidnapping” the bills, saying that “the infamy of the party’s move will go down in history.”
During the rally outside KMT headquarters, where the party was holding its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting, lawyer and activist Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said KMT caucus whip Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) once said — according to media reports — that constitutional amendments “cannot include only those requested by the DPP, but also have to include those the KMT wants.”
“Is the lowering of the voting age and the party threshold not what the KMT wants? Does it mean that Chu and Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who have both voiced their support [for the two amendments], are lying?” Lai asked.
The KMT did not directly respond to the protesters, but Chu said at the committee meeting that the proposals to empower the legislature to confirm the premier and allow absentee voting “are the two constitutional amendment proposals that have the greatest popular support and are the most significant.”
The DPP made it impossible to review and vote on the proposed amendments — including lowering the voting age and the threshold for political parties to secure legislator-at-large seats — to pursue its own interests and political motives,” Chu said.
However, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) on Tuesday said that, according to Lai, it was the KMT leadership’s directive to oppose the separate handling of the proposals.
The protesters said that the proposed constitutional reform had been a political tool all along and called on voters to sweep the old political forces out of the Legislative Yuan in January’s elections.
DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) rejected Chu’s accusations that the DPP was at fault.
“Constitutional reform does not serve the interests of a party, but that of Taiwan and the rights of its citizens, especially the younger generation. That is why we hoped to lower the voting age to 18,” Tsai said.
“Lowering the voting age and the threshold for political parties to acquire at-large seats are two proposals that different political parties and the public agree on. If we are all sincere about constitutional reform, we should first adopt those parts on which we all agree,” she said.
The KMT’s move to tie the two proposals with other more contentious proposals is regrettable, as it does not benefit the nation and deprives many of their rights, the DPP’s presidential candidate said.
Accusing the KMT of mudslinging, Tsai said: “I want to tell my rivals that they cannot stop me by trying to irritate me. I have more important things to do. I want to push for change for Taiwan and that is something that people care about.”
Tsai said the KMT has always opposed progressive values, despite its claims that it supports constitutional reform.
She said that Chu and Hung owe the public an explanation, as they had both voiced their support for lowering the voting age.
“Whether we return to power or not, the DPP will honor its promises to continue to push for constitutional reforms,” Tsai said.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin
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
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS