Amid rumors that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is considering handing over his right to form the Cabinet to the new legislature chosen by voters in the elections on Saturday next week, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that he supports the idea of letting the party that holds the legislative majority form the Cabinet.
“I have always agreed with the concept of a majority-formed Cabinet. We appreciate such an idea because allowing the party with a legislative majority to form the Cabinet can help put Taiwan’s democracy on the right track,” Chu said while campaigning in Hsinchu in the morning.
It is an idea similar to one that he has repeatedly proposed, Chu said, adding that he would respect such a “constitutional convention” if elected president.
Photo: CNA
“That is why we must go all out and not give up [fighting for] any of our legislative seats,” Chu said.
However, he did not give a direct response when asked if he would still back Ma’s idea if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) wins a legislative majority, and when asked if the proposal was just an election ploy by the KMT to help it in the legislative polls.
The Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily on Wednesday — , citing an unidentified KMT member — reported that Ma was inclined to give up the right to form a new Cabinet if the KMT lose both the presidency and its legislative majority in the elections.
Photo: Hsieh Wu-hsiung, Taipei Times
The anonymous source was quoted as saying that since Ma had brought up the idea of majority-formed Cabinet many times, he might not rule it out if it was raised again after the elections.
In June 2007, as he began his first run for the presidency, Ma said he would honor the spirit of a semi-presidential system and allow the majority party in the legislature to form the Cabinet.
In Taiwan’s semi-presidential system, the president names the premier without having to seek approval from the legislature.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
This has led to criticism that the president enjoys all the power, but does not have to answer to the legislature, while the premier has no real power, but must bear the brunt of opposition to major administration policies.
Asked to confirm that Ma was mulling such an idea, Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday declined to comment on hypothetical situations, saying only that Ma would handle relevant matters in accordance with constitutional procedures.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also refused to comment on the speculation, saying such a matter should only be decided by the president.
“[The question of] who should enjoy the power and who should shoulder the responsibility requires some rethinking,” Wang said.
Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) said she agrees with the idea of a majority-formed Cabinet because she thinks it conforms to the spirit of a parliamentary system.
Pressed by reporters, DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that the Constitution gives the president the power to appoint a premier and that it is not something that should be given away under the table.
“Allowing arbitrary changes is not only detrimental to our constitutional system, but could also lead to confusion about authority and the division of responsibility, and unsettle the political arena,” Tsai said.
That such rumors were spreading in the run-up to the elections showed that they were being used to manipulate the elections, rather than ensuring the stability of the country, she said.
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