An intellectual group yesterday made an urgent appeal to all parties to move away from political power plays and partisan interests, and refer to the normal functions of the Constitution and government to resolve the current disputes.
They said launching a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet would be the best solution to end the present tumult.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The call was made by the Taipei Society (
Opposition parties have been lobbying for a recall motion against President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), saying he should be held accountable for the current political instability.
"It is true that the declaration of the news [to put a halt to the power plant] was not handled properly, but there are no legal grounds for an opposition alliance to launch the recall case," said Chiu Hei-yuan (
"If opposition parties are not in accordance with the decision made by the Executive Yuan, they should propose a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet, not a recall of the president."
Chiu said the opposition parties' insistence on the recall motion was due to partisan politics.
The KMT is not in favor of the no-confidence vote against the Cabinet because they do not want to lose their current majority in the legislature, according to Chiu.
In accordance with the law, if a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet is approved, the president is entitled to dismiss the legislature and push for a re-election. As it stands, it is highly unlikely that the KMT would maintain their supremacy at the legislature.
Ku Chung-hwa (
Meanwhile, Chiu presented the results of various surveys conducted by numerous pollsters which support the Taipei Society's opposition to the recall.
According to the reports provided by Chiu, four surveys done by local media all indicate that the recall initiative goes against public opinion.
Moreover, Chiu said the opposition was not taking into consideration the price society would pay if the recall were approved.
"[The price] would be another few months of commotion as society gets charged up again for a presidential election. Just think of the time, money and energy that would be involved. Have they [opposition lawmakers] thought about the consequences?" Chiu said.
However, the opposition yesterday reasserted their intention to recall the president. KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (
In related news, local media reported yesterday that if the recall motion passed, the DPP would initiate a no-confidence vote against the Cabinet.
DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
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