DPP presidential candidate Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday condemned delegates to the National Assembly for extending their terms despite public opposition, saying his first reform task if elected president next year would be to abolish the assembly.
Speaking at Kaohsiung's Chungshan Stadium at the second of a series of weekly rallies, Chen whipped up emotions in the estimated 60,000-strong crowd with strong criticisms of the Assembly's action.
"What those delegates did during Friday's session departed from public opinion and people's expectations. Even though an amendment was added to freeze future elections through a proportional representative system, I don't agree that it can carry out the necessary assembly reforms," Chen said.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
The DPP's second presidential campaign rally in Kaohsiung City yesterday has originally been planned to publicize Chen's election platform.
But Chen and other DPP heavyweights focused instead on clarifying whether or not to support the party's National Assembly delegates who voted to pass the term extension amendment.
Chen arrived at the rally from the back of the packed stadium, walking up through the crowd and shaking hands with supporters to the deafening applause of the crowd. Firecrackers exploded and airhorns erupted as he made his entrance.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Chen reaffirmed that if he was to be elected next year, he would rewrite the Constitution to reflect a three-branch power constitutional system that would include a presidential-style executive with a unicameral parliament.
"According to an interpretation by the Grand Council of Justices, assembly delegates should serve without pay -- but instead, they amended the constitution to receive income which will drain about NT$200 million from this year's central government budget," Chen said.
"If we can abolish the assembly we can save money, and we can free budget money to contribute to social welfare or local development," Chen said.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (
"We cannot see that KMT secretary-general John Chang (章孝嚴) made any effort when he negotiated with DPP leaders for amending the constitution. And KMT presidential candidate Lien Chen (連戰) contributed nothing to accomplish reform," Lin said.
However, Lin did admit that the Party's headquarters had received plenty of criticism yesterday, from people condemning the "self-promotion" of DPP delegates.
But Lin also stressed that the party should only punish those who had acted through self-interest, and to reward those who had not.
Chen stressed his time as Taipei mayor had proved he was a man of reform, an ability that would serve his well as pre-sident.
"When Lien was Premier, our central government's budget debt increased to approximately NT$380 billion after only four years. And when Soong was the Taiwan Provincial Governor, the province's debt also increased to NT$300 billion," Chen said.
"Meanwhile, I decreased the Taipei City Government's debt during my four year term," Chen said.
In an unexpected development, the rally's hosts -- two national assemblymen -- were replaced at the last minute by Chen Ju (陳菊), the chief of Kaohsiung's social affairs bureau, and Information Department head Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟).
Sources said the pair had been replaced due to the deputies' support for the extension amendment in the National Assembly.
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