The Legislative Yuan, dominated by opposition parties, want to increase its leverage in cross-strait policy by establishing a task force to monitor policies relating to sensitive relations with China.
Following the adoption of a resolution on Tuesday to set up a special task force in the legislature to deal with cross-strait relations, caucus leaders yesterday reached an agreement to finalize their proposals on the group's operating framework within a week.
"We are establishing and operating this task force based on our legal authority and representation as the country's highest elected body in order to participate in and monitor the making of cross-strait policy," said legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Despite the lack of a substantial framework, a basic consensus among legislators is that the task force will be convened by the speaker himself, will consist of representatives from all parties and will be of a higher level than legislative committees.
Hong Yu-chin (
"We hope the task force will function to its fullest, rather than just be decoration," Hong said.
The proposal to set up such a special task force in the legislature was first raised by the KMT caucus at practically the same time President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) moved to establish a non-institutional cross-party task force on cross-strait relations to serve as a think tank directly under himself.
Accusing Chen of trying to cripple the function of the National Unification Council (NUC) -- set up by former President Lee Teng-hui (
The People First Party has followed the KMT's lead in shunning participation in Chen's task force, but opposition legislators insist the move is not intended simply to "antagonize" Chen, as some critics have suggested.
PFP caucus spokesman Liu Wen-hsiung (
Liu said forming a special task force in the legislature will enable lawmakers to have first access to policies made by the government.
"People are still jittery over the government's pro-independence background," Liu said.
Under a PFP proposal, the task force could convene in cross-strait emergencies and could invite the head of the National Security Council, the premier and ministers to brief the task force.
Elmer Fung (馮滬祥), convener of the New Party caucus, described the proposed task force as the legislature's "highest negotiation mechanism" on cross-strait affairs.
"Most of all, this will be a task force set up within the institution and will be a genuine cross-party task force," Fung said.
The DPP has had little choice but to follow along with the move in the legislature being in the minority and careful not to antagonize the opposition which holds a strong legislative majority. "The DPP isn't against of the forming of a task force in the legislature as long as it operates within a legal framework to monitor the administrative branch," said Cheng Pao-ching (
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