Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday lambasted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) for failing to attend cross-caucus negotiations and suggested that Fu step down from the position if he continued to miss meetings.
The Legislative Yuan yesterday afternoon met to discuss this fiscal year’s general budget.
Han had expressed his intent to pass the budget by Friday last week, but the deadline passed without consensus, with more than 100 proposals still pending review.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Fu was absent from cross-caucus negotiations on July 30, July 31, Tuesday last week, Thursday last week and yesterday.
After confirming that both Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) were present, Han asked the KMT caucus whether Fu would attend the meeting.
The answer was important, as Fu’s absence would mean that the other whips’ presence at the meeting were for naught, he said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
When KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said Fu was not attending, Han asked Lin if he was authorized to vote on the KMT caucus’ behalf.
Han posed the same question to Chen and Tsai, both of whom stated that in the event of their absence, the signature of their deputies would represent the caucus.
Lin said that while he was authorized to sign any agreements, his signature could not represent the caucus.
Han said that the attempts of one caucus leader to micromanage proceedings have rendered the legislature dysfunctional and showed that he has little regard for the speaker, other caucuses and officials.
“You tell Fu, right now, that he has three choices: come in person, which he should have done; continue to be absent, but fully authorize you to make a decision; or quit his position as whip,” Han told Lin.
The legislature is duty-bound to ensure that the nation continues to improve, that the government can govern more efficiently without corruption and that the public can live a better life, Han said.
“We are not here to be bombastic because we hold a title,” he added.
Later, when it was time to sign the conclusions of the meeting, the KMT caucus initially withheld its signature, prompting Han to lose his temper again and say: "The legislature has been taken over by dark forces."
The caucuses eventually reached a consensus to put the general budget bill to a vote at a plenary session on Friday.
If it does not clear its third reading, an additional plenary session would be convened on Friday next week.
In a statement released last night, Fu said that his absence was by no means a sign of disrespect toward Han or the other party caucuses, but rather that he "could not bear to see Han subjected to various indignities by the Executive Yuan."
Regarding the general budget, Fu confirmed that Han requested that opposition lawmakers to reduce their number of motions to about 100.
Communications among opposition lawmakers are aimed at finalizing this reduction so that the review of the general budget can be completed on schedule, he added.
A source commenting on condition of anonymity said that the split between Han and Fu began when Han ran for speaker in 2024.
Fu intended to campaign as deputy speaker, but Han approached Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) for the position, the source said.
Han was also displeased that Fu staged boycotts in the legislature without informing him, they added.
The divide widened on July 29, when Fu was allegedly displeased with Han’s request for the opposition parties to reduce the number of budget cuts to 60 by the day of the vote.
Han berating Fu might be the first time the legislature has seen a speaker openly criticize a fellow party member, the source said.
Additional reporting by Lo Kuo-chia
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