Constitutional reform is one of the most important advancements for Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday, adding that items that should be prioritized include lowering the voting age from 20 to 18, and abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, as the issues have cross-party consensus.
Tsai made the remarks in a speech at the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) national congress in Taipei, which she presided over in her capacity as party chairperson.
Tsai highlighted major missions for the party.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
First, the DPP should quickly propose guidelines on constitutional amendments related to lowering the voting age — along with other civil rights provided to citizens over 20 — as well as abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, so that party caucuses can discuss the issues at the legislature’s Constitutional Amendment Committee, Tsai said.
Tsai also called on opposition parties, saying that all parties should cherish the “constitutional moment.”
Second, the DPP should dedicate more resources to cultivating young talent for the nation, she said.
Third, the party should continue to deepen democracy in Taiwan and defend its democratic values amid global uncertainties, Tsai said, citing the situation in Hong Kong, where freedom and human rights have become seriously undermined after China imposed national security legislation on the territory.
As a party that survived totalitarian oppression, the DPP would share Taiwan’s experience in establishing democratic institutions with the international community, and support Hong Kongers fighting for democracy, Tsai said.
Fourth, the DPP should “recover its glory in Kaohsiung” by winning the city’s mayoral by-election, which is set for Aug. 15, she said.
Tsai also said that Taiwan’s economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic has had a good start, as crowds were seen in various locations nationwide on the first weekend following the release of the government’s Triple Stimulus Vouchers, which she said was a sign of increased business opportunities.
However, the DPP cannot be complacent about its policy results, otherwise public support could slip away, Tsai said, telling party members that “integrity, diligence and love for the country” remain the party’s chief commitments.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokeswoman Hung Yu-chien (洪于茜) said that constitutional reform should be carried out with cross-party consensus, but the Tsai administration does nothing but “exercise crushing tyranny of the majority.”
The attitude shows no respect for opposition parties and creates “extremely unequal power between the ruling and opposition parties” at the legislature, Hung added.
The KMT believes the DPP is bringing up abolishing the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan to shift focus away from its incompetence at governing the nation and its tyrannical leadership, she said.
The KMT would establish a constitutional amendment committee comprising party members and academics to discuss issues, including the Examination Yuan and the Control Yuan, she said.
The KMT would not finalize its stance on the matter before that, she added.
New Power Party caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) said his party would support constitutional reform, as it would address issues that have long been unresolved.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) agreed, saying that abolishing the two branches of government and lowering the voting age to 18 are also the party’s long-time appeals.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng and Hsieh Chun-lin
Three cases of Candida auris, a fungus that can cause a yeast infection known as candidiasis in humans, have been reported in Taiwan over the past few years, but they did not display drug resistance, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday. Lo made the statement at a news conference in Taipei, one day after the Washington Post reported that the potentially deadly fungus is spreading in US hospitals. The fungus was first discovered in Japan in 2009 and poses a danger to immunocompromised people, with an estimated mortality rate of 30 to 60 percent, Lo
‘DIRE’: Taiwan would not engage in ‘dollar diplomacy,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, after China reportedly offered Honduras up to US$3 billion to establish relations The government yesterday recalled its ambassador to Honduras after the Central American nation sent its foreign minister to China, signaling that it would sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Suspicions concerning ties with Honduras are rife after Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday last week wrote on Twitter that her country would pursue diplomatic ties with China. Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina traveled to China on Wednesday “to promote efforts for the establishment of diplomatic relations” on instructions from Castro, Reuters yesterday quoted Honduran presidential spokesman Ivis Alvarado as saying. The government “has decided to immediately recall the ambassador to Honduras
‘NOTHING NEW’: China should not use Tsai Ing-wen’s transits through the US as a pretext to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait, a Washington official said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to stop over in the US on her way to and from Central America next week, but her administration would not confirm a meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Tsai’s delegation is to leave Taipei on Wednesday next week and stop over in New York City, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) told a news conference yesterday. Tsai is then to head to Guatemala on Saturday next week for talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and to meet with Taiwanese expatriates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. On April 3, Tsai is scheduled to travel
MEDIA, SOCIETY FOCUS: Doublethink Lab said that Beijing is trying to coerce countries that rely on China economically to pursue policies in its favor China has stronger influence over Taiwan’s media and society than any other country, the Taipei-based Doublethink Lab think tank said yesterday, as it announced its China Index gauging Beijing’s global influence. Taiwan ranked 11th overall among 82 countries assessed, but first in terms of social and media influence, Doublethink Lab chairman Puma Shen (沈伯洋) told a news conference in Taipei. More than 200 experts and academics participated in the project, including some highly influential figures, Shen said. The index collects information from countries worldwide to gauge China’s influence and assess how Chinese policies affect them, Shen said. In terms of Chinese
RSS