The legislature's Procedure Comm-ittee yesterday decided that Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) would be invited during next week's provisional legislative session to deliver a report to lawmakers and accept interpellation on the session's "urgency and importance."
The decision is in line with a proposal by the majority opposition lawmakers, but has met with strong disapproval from the DPP.
Though the legislature must reconfirm the decision, with a ballot if necessary, as soon as the provisional session starts Tuesday morning, it is almost certain to be upheld given the DPP's minority status in the legislature.
The plan is to have Chang make his presentation Tuesday afternoon. The review of six financial bills proposed by the Executive Yuan to address current economic problems will start after the interpellation.
President Chen Shui-bian (
The DPP yesterday called the Procedure Committee's decision "unconstitutional and unlawful."
Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), chief executive of the DPP legislative caucus, said the decision had "obviously violated" the purpose of the provisional session, which, according to the president's request, was to review the six urgent bills.
"The opposition should focus on the six financial bills, and not try to exploit the situation to ask the premier to the legislature to accept their interpellation," Tsai said.
Tsai said that whether Chang should accept the legislature's invitation would be up to the Executive Yuan.
The DPP has argued that the premier is not obliged to deliver reports to the legislature during provisional sessions.
Executive Yuan secretary-general, Chiou I-jen (
"The stand of the Executive Yuan is very clear. It is to follow the norms and principles of the Constitution," Chiou said.
Opposition lawmakers, however, said that their request was totally constitutional and lawful.
Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋), convener of the People First Party caucus, said that to seek a solution to current economic problems had been the real reason cited by the Executive Yuan and the president for the provisional session, while the six bills had simply been cited as measures to achieve that goal.
"Doesn't the Executive Yuan owe the legislature an explanation as to why the economic issue has become a reason for holding a provisional legislative session?" Chou said.
The president's statement Tuesday said, "To facilitate a sound development of the financial system and create a favorable environment for capital investment ... the legislative process for the six bills, which are urgent and crucial for financial reform, needs to be completed as soon as possible."
The opposition lawmakers pointed out that the legislature had only held three provisional sessions since 1947, and that none had been held for the purpose of reviewing legislation.
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